Improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of Peat Fuel.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 7th Apr., 1891
Complete Specification Left, 30th Jan., 1892-Accepted, 5th Mar., 1892
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of Peat Fuel.
I, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of 23 Southampton Buildings, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
a communication to me from Esmonde Lawrence Clarke, of the City of Montreal,
in the District of Montreal, and Province of Quebec, Canada, to be as
follows:-
--
This invention relates to the mechanism for forming from the dried peat dust, or
disintegrated particles, resulting from the operation of the clearing or stick
catching devices and the disintegrating and drying apparatus, a homogeneous
plastic mass, and finally from this a hard and dense body."
The object of the invention is to provide means for bringing to the surface, the
tarry residue inherent in the peat particles, and it is proposed to effect this by
means of a flat ended longitudinally screw threaded plunger, working in a
cylindrical mould and having imparted to it both a reciprocating and a rotary
motion.
A chute or chutes convey the dried and disintegrated peat from any suitable
traveller or receptacle into the cylindrical mould, in which it lies in the thread of
the screw of the plunger and is gradually impelled forward until it is freed from
the helix and falls in front of the front end of the plunger, being, during this
passage and afterwards, converted into a homogeneous plastic mass by the heat
generated by the rapid rotation of the plunger.
The peat fed from the screw into the mould in front of the plunger, is subjected
to its impact and, being thereby continually forced forward, becomes hard and
dense and issues from the mould in the form of a finished product ready for use.
The cylindrical moulds and reciprocating plunger may be duplicated or even
more of them used and be operated by the same mechanism.
The motive force is taken from the main shaft of the machine or a special one
driven therefrom. By this is rotated, through gears, a parallel shaft, on which are
mounted eccentrics with straps operating levers which give intermittent forward
motion to the plungers, the resilient force of the peat serving to throw the plungers
back. The outer ends of the moulds are preferably slitted to facilitate the egress
of the peat.
Means are provided by which the clogging is prevented in the chutes.
A counter shaft rotated from the main shaft gives the rotary motion required to
each of the rotating plungers.
April 1091.
B. J. B. MILLS,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Machinery for the Manufacture of Peat Fuel.
1, BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of 23 Southampton Buildings, in the
County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
(a communication to me by Esmonde Lawrence Clarke, of the City of Montreal
in the District of Montreal and Province of Quebec, Canada,) 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 the mechanism for forming the peat into the required

page_text: marketable product after it has passed through a stick-catching, disintegrating, and
drying process, the object being to convert the dried peat, first, into a homogeneous
plastic mass, and, finally, into a hard and dense body."
The invention, broadly speaking, consists in the combination with a cylindrical
mould, of a flat headed screw revolving plunger (preferably helical in form) working
in same, and suitable means for operating such plunger.
It has hitherto been necessary to rely upon external heating appliances of some
sort to bring to the surface the tarry residue inherent in the peat particles, but my
revolving plunger avoids any necessity for so doing as the heat generated by the
rapid rotation thereof is all that is required.
The plunger need only have a short reciprocating action, half an inch being
sufficient in most cases; the object being to impel forward slowly, the mass formed
by the body of peat as it leaves the end of the screw thread or helix of the plunger,
which acts to feed it to such end.
For full comprehension however of the invention, reference must be had to the
annexed drawings, in which like symbols indicate corresponding parts, and where
Figure 1 is a plan view of my improved machine in duplex form,
Figure 2, a longitudinal vertical section of the machine on line X-X Figure 1,
and
Figure 3 is a side view, partly in section, representing my improved machine in
combination with a drying apparatus.
On top, and towards one end, of a bed plate A, are secured, in any suitable way,
the cylindrical moulds B B, (two being preferred,) so that their outer ends will
project beyond such bed plate, while their inner ends are situated some distance
from the end of the same.
Located at the inner ends of the moulds B B, are the revolving plungers CC,
which consist of cylindrical blocks occupying a portion only of the entire length of
the moulds and having screw threads C cut on their longitudinal surfaces, or they
may be of helix form and have their forward working ends finished at right angles
to their axes for purposes to be hereafter mentioned.
The dried and disintegrated peat is introduced through chutes D leading to a slot
in the top side of each mould B above the plunger C, and it is by means of this
plunger that the peat is transformed into the hard and dense product required to
render it perfect fuel.
The mechanism employed to impart the reciprocating and revolving motion to
the plunger, can be of various kinds, although I have found the arrangement shown,
and now to be described, quite satisfactory.
In bearings E E fixed to the bed plate A, is mounted the driving shaft F. This
shaft is provided with the driving pulley F2; it is located towards the rear of the
machine, and its horizontal axis is in the same plane as that of the plungers C.
The plungers C C have stems or shafts C C extending rearward from them and
bearing in blocks H H carried by the bed plate, and gear wheels J J are mounted
on these stems between such bearing blocks.
Between the plunger shafts CC, and parallel with same, is carried in the
blocks HH, a counter shaft K connected with the main driving shaft F by bevel
gears KK, and also carrying a gear wheel K between such blocks to gear with
the gears JJ. The shaft F carries two eccentrics M M in vertical axis with the
plungers C C.
The straps of these eccentrics are connected, through rods M' M', with links N N
running in slides H'H' fixed to the bed plate A, and such links carry removable
steel sockets N1 N1, into which the ends of the plunger shafts fit.
A worm wheel mounted in each chute D gears with the worm C², and thereby
prevents any possibility of the peat clogging the plunger thread.
The operation of the machine is as follows. To afford the necessary resistance
at the commencement, a wooden block P is inserted in the mould, as shown in
Figure 2, and, by the rotation of the driving shaft, the plungers C C are rapidly
rotated through the gears K K K and J J, and slowly reciprocated by means of

page_text: the blocks N N pressing forward against the ends of their shafts C¹, which can
slide in their bearings, and the resilience of the peat body forcing them back.
The central gear K² is of course made somewhat deeper than those J. J. to allow
of this reciprocating movement.
The peat entering the moulds from the chutes D D through the slots D' D', is
moved rapidly to the forward end of the plunger by means of its helical form, and
is then subjected to the direct slow pressure of the flat end of the plunger, and to
the effects of the intense heat developed by its rapid rotation in contact with the
peat, the result of which is its (the peat's) conversion into a homogeneous plastic
mass, which, being continually formed and forced forward in the mould, becomes
hard and dense, and finally emerges from such mould in the form of a finished
product ready for use.
The outer ends of the moulds are preferably slitted, as shown at Q Q, and
furnished with tension bands Q', whereby the resistance to the movement of the
peat can be regulated.
At Figure 3 I have shown my above described improved machine in combination
with the preliminary disintegrating and drying machine. This latter machine is
constructed and operated in the following manner. The peat, after having passed
through the stick-catching device, (not shown,) enters the hopper a, where it passes
between heated commingling rolls ; it thence passes down the chute c into one eud
of the drying cylinder d, which latter is provided with a rotating longitudinal shaft e
fitted with stirrers e, which gradually convey the peat from the inlet to the outlet
end of the cylinder d, whence the peat falls through an opening d' into the chute D
of my improved apparatus. Motion is given to the shaft e by a vertical shaft f
driven from the shaft K by bevel gearing K³ ³, and communicating motion to the
shaft e by bevel gearing fe², and the shaft e gives motion to the commingling hot
rolls by means of a chain wheel e³, chain e', and chain wheel & on the axis of one
of the rolls b. is a flue from a steam boiler or other furnace, which conveys the
heated products of the fire into the drying cylinder d, through the length of which
they pass and finally escape through the chimney d².
The lower half of the cylinder d is preferably jacketted, as shown at h, and it is
supported between its ends by a trussed rod i.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
:-
1. In machinery for the manufacture of peat fuel, a finishing press embracing an
integral cylindrical mould of even diameter throughout, an aperture in wall of same
to allow of the entrance of the peat, a temporary resistance block, a rotating and
reciprocating plunger, and means for effecting the rotation and reciprocation of
same, as and for the purpose set forth.
2. In machinery for the manufacture of peat fuel, a finishing press embracing a
cylindrical mould apertured to allow of the entrance of the peat, a temporary
resistance block, a rotating and reciprocating helical plunger, and means for
effecting the rotation and reciprocation of same, as and for the purpose set forth.
Dated this 30th day of January 1892.
B. J. B. MILLS,
By Harris & Mills,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.