Year: 1888

page_text: I, GEORGE WHITTAKER of 8 City Road Manchester in the County of Lancaster,
Steam and Hydraulic 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 Packing Stillages and it has for its object to secure a
uniform support to the top of the bale while it is being compressed and at the same
time to provide means for the subsequent passage of the hoops or ropes by which the
bale is to be bound.
.
The manner in which my Invention may be carried into practical effect is illustrated
by the accompanying sheet of drawings.
According to my Improvements the Stillage consists of alternate fixed and collapsible
bars.
Fig. 1. represents a side view, Fig. 2 a longitudinal section, Fig. 3 also a longi-.
tudinal section, Fig. 4 a plan of the lower part and Figs. 5, 6, and 7, details of a
collapsible bar; Fig. 8, represents the stillage as. employed with a hydraulic press.
The stillage may similarly be employed with a screw or other press.
The collapsible bars may each be constructed of two essential parts, A, the upper
part and B the lower part. On the under side of A and on the upper side of B corre-
sponding inclined planes CC are formed as represented in the drawings and in such
a manner that the inclined planes of one part of the bar fit into the corresponding
inclined planes of the other part of the bar when it is closed as in Fig. 1.
The upper
part A of the bar is capable of being moved endwise relatively to the lower part B so
that the two parts of the bar may occupy the relative positions shown in Fig. 1 or
the positions indicated in Fig. 3. By this end motion of one part of the bar relatively
to the other, the effective depth of the collapsible bar may be increased or diminished
within definite limits. In constructing a stillage I employ alternate solid and
collapsible bars, and arrange that the dimensions of the solid bars shall equal the
dimensions of the collapsible bars when open as in Fig. 3. By this arrangement the
under surface of the stillage is uniformly level when the collapsible bars are open, but
when the collapsible bars or any of them are closed as shown in Fig. 1, a groove is
D
7

page_text: formed in the under surface of the stillage below each of the closed bars. When the
bale or package is being compressed, all the collapsible bars are opened as in Fig. 3,
so as to form a level surface for the top of the bale, and when the full amount of
pressure has been applied those collapsible bars which occupy positions corresponding
to or above the places to be taken by the packing hoops or ropes are closed, thus
forming open grooves or passages through which the hoops or ropes may be
passed.
The especial form and construction of collapsible bar which I prefer to employ
is that which is illustrated in the drawings and which I will now proceed to
describe.
At
Fig. 4, is a plan of the lower part of the collapsible bar which is constructed of three
parallel series of inclined planes, KL K, of which the two outside series K K, break
pitch with the inside series L. The upper part of the bar is also constructed in a
similar and corresponding manner with three series of inclined planes capable
of fitting and sliding. upon the inclined planes of the
lower part.
each end of the lower part B of the bar there are formed or secured a pair
of vertical lugs D D. Between one of the pairs of lugs there is hinged the catch E
which when turned down holds the collapsible bar in the opened position as shown in
Fig. 3. Between each of the pairs of the lugs there is also fixed a tongue F which fits
into or engages with an inclined plane, the angle of which corresponds with the angle
of the inclined planes of the bar. When the bars are moved end wise relatively to
each other or when one of the bars is so moved the action of the tongue moving
along the inclined planes lifts the lower bar so as to move it from the position shown
in Fig. 3 to that shown in Figs. 1 and 2.
The angle of the inclined planes is of importance and should be about that
represented in the drawings or ten or twelve degrees more or less.
The fixed bars and the upper members of the collapsible bars are supported by the
plates J.
I am aware that bars having inclined planes thereon have already been used in
Packing Stillages, but in such cases the construction and arrangement of the inclined
planes have been different to those hereinbefore described and have been inconvenient
in use.
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.) In packing stillages; the combination of alternate fixed and collapsible bars;
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
(2.) In packing stillages; collapsible bars constructed and operated substantially as
hereinbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
Dated this 25th day of July 1888
WILLIAM E. HEYS,
Agent for the Applicant.