IMPROVEMENTS IN CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES to be as follows:-
Year: 1885

page_text: I GEORGE FLETCHER, of Masson Works, Litchurch, in the county of Derby,
Engineer do hereby declare the nature of the said invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES to be as follows:-
"
This invention relates to that class of centrifugal machines which have the
basket carried or suspended by elastic bearings for the purpose of counteracting
the jar and vibration caused by the eccentric motion of the basket when the
material with which it is loaded is unequally distributed.
Hitherto machines of this class have been made with the vertical centre spindle
which carries the basket so supported by the elastic bearings that in nearly all
cases the action of the driving belt upon this spindle has tended to force the basket
out of the axis of revolution and thus to materially increase the vibration of the
machine.
This invention relates to a new and improved arrangement in which the afore-
said vertical centre spindle which carries and revolves with the basket and has the
driven pulley or wheel fixed thereon is rigid and is supported at the upper end by
a coned metal bearing and carried at the bottom end by a footstep block or
bearing..
The centre piece of the basket consists of a hollow shaft or sleeve fixed upon the
above centre spindle by means of one or more rings or tubes of elastic material or
by means of elastic rings or tube and coiled springs combined or by means of coiled
or any other springs alone, or by means of a ball or hemispherical bearing or by
means of the ball and hemispherical bearing combined with one or more of the
before mentioned elastic rings, tubes or springs.
These elastic bearings or springs or their equivalents allow the basket to revolve
in the axis of equilibrium so that when unequally loaded the jar and vibration
of a fixed basket is avoided and at the same time the springs have a tendency
to bring the axis of revolution concentric with that of the fixed centre spindle;
this has the effect of tending to level or equally distribute the contents of the
basket so that after some few revolutions the basket will tend to obtain and
revolve evenly in an axis concentric with that of the centre spindle.
This invention has the further advantage of allowing the machine to be driven
as may be required by gearing either overhead or underneath that is to say the
driven pulley or wheel fixed upon the vertical centre spindle may be placed either
above or under the basket.

page_text: Figure 1, of the drawings represents a side elevation of a centrifugal machine
driven from the top and having the basket carried by elastic, spring, hemispherical
or ball bearings off the vertical centre spindle as hereinafter described.
A, is the countershaft of the machine having the friction pulley or wheel B,
keyed or otherwise secured thereon the said pulley or wheel B, driving the pulley
or wheel C, which is keyed or otherwise secured on the vertical centre spindle D,
carrying the basket E.
F, is a boss carrying the coned bearing for the vertical centre spindle and G, is
the brake acting upon the upper end of the centre part of the basket.
Figure 2, is a vertical section, of a basket carried or suspended off the centre
spindle D, by means of elastic rings H, H¹.
These rings by reason of their elasticity allow the axis to revolve in the axis of
equilibrium thereby tending to avoid jarring and vibration from the unequal
loading of the basket but as they also tend to cause the basket to revolve in an
axis concentric with that of the centre spindle it is evident that they tend to level
the contents of the basket and so decrease the vibration.
These rings or tubes H, HI, may be made of india rubber or any other suitable
elastic material, or coiled springs may be employed, or ball or hemispherical bearings
or combinations of the same. C, is the driven pulley or wheel keyed or otherwise
secured on the centre spindle D.
F, is the boss carrying the coned bearing I.
Figure 3, is a sectional plan of figure 2, showing the elastic rings, centre spindle
and top part of the basket centre piece in section.
Figure 4, represents a side elevation of a bottom or underdriven centrifugal
machine: A is the boss carrying the coned bearing for the spindle and B, is the
brake.
Figure 5, is a side elevation of the basket for a machine such as that shewn in
figure 4, shewing the boss and coned bearing in section and the driven pulley or
wheel X keyed or otherwise secured on the centre spindle D.
Figure 6, is a vertical sectional view shewing a portion of a basket carried or
suspended by a hemispherical bearing A, off the centre spindle B. C, is an elastic
tube or ring.
For this ring may be substituted a coiled spring or any combination of springs
herein before referred to, or the hemispherical bearing alone may be used.
Dated the 4th d... of Tahmam 100K
G. F. REDFERN,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agent for the Applicant.

page_text: I GEORGE FLETCHER, of Masson Works, Litchurch, in the county of Derby,
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 that class of centrifugal machines which have the
basket and its bearings so constructed as to tend to counteract the jar and vibration
of the basket caused by the material with which the basket is loaded being.
unequally distributed.
Hitherto machines of this class have been so made that the basket cannot be
driven from underneath and in most cases with the vertical centre spindle which
carries the basket so supported by the elastic bearings that the action of the driving
belt upon this spindle has tended to force the basket out of the axis of revolution
and thus to increase materially the vibration of the machine.
This invention relates to a new and improved arrangement in which the aforesaid
vertical centre spindle which carries and revolves with the basket and has the
driven pulley or wheel fixed thereon, is rigid and of a coned shape at the upper
end and is there supported by a coned metal bearing and is carried at the bottom
by a footstep block or bearing.
The centre piece of the basket consists of a hollow shaft or sleeve carried and
driven off the above centre spindle by means of a ball and socket or hemispherical
or other joint made of metal, india rubber or other material, the upper part of the
sleeve being coned and revolving within or outside a metal bearing carried by one
or more india rubber rings or tubes or by coiled or other springs or by any
combination of the same.
These elastic rings or their equivalents allow the basket to revolve in the axis
of equilibrium so that when unequally loaded the jar and vibration of a fixed
basket is avoided and at the same time the springs have a tendency to bring the
axis of revolution concentric with that of the fixed centre spindle; this has the
effect of tending to level or equally distribute the contents of the basket, so that
after some few revolutions the basket will tend to obtain and revolve evenly in an
axis concentric with that of the centre spindle.
This invention has the further advantage of allowing the machine to be driven
as may be required by gearing over head or underneath, that is to say the driven
pulley or wheel fixed upon the vertical centre spindle may be placed either above
or underneath the basket.
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing.
Figure 1, of the drawing represents a front elevation of a centrifugal machine
driven from the top and having the basket carried and driven off the vertical
spindle by means of a hemispherical joint, being supported at the top by a coned
metal bearing carried by india rubber rings, the said centre spindle revolving in a
coned metal bearing.
A is the countershaft of the machine having the friction pulley or wheel B keyed
or otherwise secured thereon, the said pulley or wheel B driving the pulley or
wheel C, which is keyed or otherwise secured on the vertical centre spindle D,

page_text: carrying the basket E, which revolves in a coned metal bearing supported by india
rubber rings in the boss I. The upper part of the centre spindle D is made coned.
F, is a boss carrying the coned bearing for the vertical centre spindle and G is the
brake acting upon the upper end of the central part of the basket.
Figure 2, is a vertical section shewing the basket carried or suspended off the
vertical centre spindle D, by means of a hemispherical joint H and revolving in
the coned bearing L which is carried or supported by the india rubber rings K
and K¹.
These rings by reason of their elasticity allow the basket to revolve in the axis
of equilibrium thereby tending to avoid jarring and vibration from the unequal
loading of the basket and as they also tend to cause the basket to revolve in an axis
concentric with that of the centre spindle, it is evident that they tend to level the
contents of the basket and so decrease the vibration.
These rings or tubes K, K¹ may be made of india rubber or any other suitable
elastic material, or coiled springs or a combination of rubber and springs may be
employed.
Figure 3 is a sectional plan of figure 2 shewing the boss I, which contains the
india rubber rings, the upper part of the basket with its bearing and the vertical
centre spindle in section.
Figure 4, represents a side elevation of a bottom or under driven centrifugal
machine; A, is the boss carrying the coned bearing in which the centre spindle
revolves. B, is the basket and C is the boss containing the india rubber rings or
springs and the bearing in which the basket revolves; D is the brake.
Figure 5 is a side elevation of the basket for a machine such as that shewn in
figure 4, shewing the driven pulley or wheêl E, keyed or otherwise secured on the
centre spindle F.
Figure 6, is a vertical sectional view shewing a hemispherical joint in section
between the basket and centre spindle.
The ring A may be made of india rubber or wood or metal or of any other
suitable material or it may be forged on the spindle.
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 I do
not bind myself to the above methods of carrying out my invention, but what
I claim is
1. The combination in centrifugal machines of a rigid internal centre spindle
with a basket carried or suspended on the same by means of elastic or other
bearings or springs, and revolving either within or outside a bearing carried or
suspended by elastic or other springs, or any combination of the same as herein-
before described.
2. In centrifugal machines the carrying or suspending the basket off the spindle
by elastic or other bearings or springs, ball or hemispherical joints or otherwise as
herein before described.