Improved Feed Mechanism for Crushing Mills and the like.
Year: 1896

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Feed Mechanism for Crushing Mills and the like.
I, WILLIAM HENRY COWARD of Hastings Villa, Bexley Road, Erith, in the
County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention to be as
follows:-
My Invention relates to feed mechanism for crushing mills and other machines
whereby the material to be operated on may be supplied at a rate regulated to suit the
capacity of the mill or machine. The feed mechanism consists essentially of a
spring-actuated slide reciprocated upon the bottom of the feed hopper whereby the
material resting upon or in front of the slide is forcibly projected into the machine
in quantities and at intervals depending on the extent and frequency of the
movements of the slide. The slide is retracted and the spring is put in tension by
the oscillation of a lever connected with the slide by links or through a
toothed quadrant and rack and actuated at intervals by tappet studs on a rotating
part of the machine. The forward or feeding motion of the slide is produced by
the sudden contraction of the spring when the tappet escapes from the
slide actuating lever, and the extent of this motion is limited by a screw stop which
may be adjusted whilst the machine is in operation so as by varying the
stroke of the slide to regulate the quantity of material supplied by it to the
machine. The slide is preferably set at an inclination and discharges the material
through an aperture regulated by a door at the front side of the hopper on to a
shoot leading into the machine, and the upper face of the slide may be provided
with transverse ribs of ratchet tooth section to enable it to obtain on its forward
stroke a more certain grip of some classes of material.
Dated this 28th day of October 1896.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.
Improved Feed Mechanism for Crushing Mills and
like.
I, WILLIAM HENRY COWARD of Hastings Villa, Bexley Road, Erith, in the
County of Kent, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this Invention and
Price8d1

page_text: in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
My invention relates to feed toechanism for crushing mills and other like
machines requiring to be fed, the main object of the Invention being to enable the
material to be operated on by the crushing or other machine to be supplied thereto at
any required point and at a rate regulated to suit the capacity of the mill or
machine.
The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing
forming part of this specification which represents a side elevation partly in section
of the feed mechanism.
The feed mechanism consists essentially of a downwardly inclined slide A
reciprocating upon the inclined bottom B of the feed hopper C and acting as a
striker whereby the material resting upon and in front of the slide A is forcibly
projected into the machine in quantities and at intervals depending on the extent
and frequency of the movements of the slide A. The sudden forward percussive
motion of the slide is produced by the stress of a spring D which is suddenly
permitted to come into action, and the backward movement of the slide whereby
the spring is put in tension is produced by the oscillation of an elbow lever E
connected with the slide by links F coupled to the short arm of the lever E and
to a downwardly projecting lug a bolted to the underside of the slide and working
through a slot b in the bottom of the hopper. Or instead of the links F the
short arm of the lever might terminate in a segment having a few teeth in gear
with rack teeth at the underside of the slide A. The lever E is actuated at intervals
by tappet studs G furnished with friction rollers, the studs being carried on a rotating
part of the machine.
In the case of a revolving drum mill the studs would be fixed to the side of the
revolving drum alongside of which the feed mechanism is placed.
The spring D is attached to the lug a and to a fixed point and the forward or
feeding motion of the slide A is produced by the sudden contraction of the spring
when the tappet stud escapes from the lever E which is just about to happen as shown.
The extent of the forward or feeding motion of the slide is limited by a
screw-adjusted stop, the adjusting screw H being mounted in a lug at the rear end
of the slide A and provided with a hand wheel h and locking nut h¹ whereby to
enable the stop to be adjusted whilst the machine is in operation, so as by varying
the stroke of the slide A to regulate the quantity of material supplied by it to the
machine. The screw terminates in a cup h² carrying an indiarubber cushion ³, a
similar cushion being provided to form a buffer rendering the action noiseless
and serving besides regulating the length of stroke of the feed slide to cause sufficient
vibration to shake the material down in the hopper.
The slide A discharges the material through an aperture regulated by a door I at
the front side of the hopper B on to a shoot J leading into the machine and the
upper face of the slide may be provided with transverse ribs A¹ of ratchet tooth
section so as on the return stroke of the slide to raise the material slightly in the
hopper and by loosening it ensure that it will fall in front of the upstanding faces
of the ribs A¹ and of the slide so that on the forward stroke of the latter it will be
projected down the shoot J in the required quantity.
If instead of feeding the material straight forward it is required to feed it
laterally, as in applying the Invention to a rotating cylinder mill, the front end of the
slide A and likewise the ribs A would be inclined at an angle to the direction of
inotion of the slide.
B is a false bottom resting on the sloping sides of the hopper below which the
slide A works free of the superincumbent material in the hopper which only comes
on the slide at its forward or acting portion.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be perforined 1 declare that what I
claim is :-

page_text: The herein described combination of feed mechanism constituted by the
spring-actuated striking slide and the parts in connection therewith and by which it
is operated substantially as and for the purpose specified.
Dated this 28th day of July 1897.
A. M. & WM. CLARK,
53, Chancery Lane, London, Chartered Patent Agents.