IM- PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING ICE
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Augustus Gorman and John Walker, both of the
Firm of Siebe and Gorman, of Neptune Works, Mason Street, Westminster
Bridge Road, in the County of Surrey, Engineers, for the Invention of "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING ICE."
1000
on Order of the Lord Chancellor.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Augustus Gorman
and John Walker at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th
June 1879.
WILLIAM AUGUSTUS GORMAN and JOHN WALKER, both of the Firm of Siebo and
Gorman, of Neptune Works, Mason Street, Westminster Bridge Road, in the
County of Surrey, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING ICE."
Our Invention is designed to enable clear block ice to be produced in moulds
such as may be readily removed from the trough or vessel in which the brine or
We make the
uncongealable liquid circulates in contact with the said moulds.
moulds of thin sheet metal, such as copper. We divide the interior of the mould by
a vertical non-conducting partition into two compartments communicating with
each other near the top and near the bottom of the mould. One of these compart-
ments is larger than the other, and constitutes the freezing compartment or chamber.
The smaller compartment is provided with a piston, to which reciprocating motion
is imparted in such manner as when the mould is charged with water and the
machine is in operation to force water from the smaller compartment alternately
into the lower and upper parts of the larger or freezing compartment, so as to
agitate the water in the freezing compartment, displace any air it may contain, and
thereby render the ice produced clear and transparent. The moulds are constructed
or provided with non-conducting material at the end at which the smaller compart-
ment is situate, and also at the bottom, in such manner as to insulate the water in
the smaller compartment and bottom of the mould from the heat-absorbing action of
the
the circulating brine or uncongealable liquid. For this purpose, in some cases,
smaller compartment may be completely surrounded with non-conducting substance,
and a horizontal partition may extend from the lower part of the vertical partition
nearly to the other end of the mould, so as to form a channel for water from the

page_text: smaller compartment to the farther end of the larger or freezing compartment. The
moulds as described are designed to be arranged transversely within the brine
trough, but clear of its bottom, and the trough is constructed with transverse par-
titions rising from its bottom to a level somewhat below the tops of the moulds, so
that the brine or uncongealable liquid may circulate downward at one side of each
mould, under the mould, up at the opposite side of the mould, over the transverse
partition of the trough, down at one side of the next mould, under its bottom, up
at its other side, over the next partition of the trough, and so on. In order further
to protect the water in the smaller compartment of the mould from the cooling
influence of the brine or uncongealable liquid we provide for each mould a recess of
suitable form and dimensions to receive that portion of the mould containing the
smaller compartment, and we provide sheet-india-rubber or other packing or ineans
to prevent the circulation of brine or uncongealable liquid in the said recesses when
the moulds are in their places in the trough.
In conjunction with apparatus as described we may use agitators protruding into
the freezing compartments of the inoulds, and to further aid the production of clear
block ice by reciprocating motion given to the whole of the moulds in the trough
which contain the brine or uncongealable liquid.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Augustus Gorman and John Walker in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 21st February 1880.
WILLIAM AUGUSTUS GORMAN and JOHN WALKER, both of the Firm of Siebo and
Gorman, of Neptune Works, Mason Street, Westminster Bridge Road, in the County
of Surrey, Engineers. "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR MAKING ICE."
Our Invention is designed to enable clear block ice to be produced in moulds
such as may be readily removed (without unmaking any pipe, joint, or connection)
from the trough or vessel in which the brine or uncongealable liquid circulates in
contact with the said moulds. We make the moulds of thin sheet metal, such as
copper. We divide the interior of the mould by a vertical non-conducting parti-
tion into two compartiments communicating with each other near the top and near
the bottom of the mould. One of these compartments is larger than the other, and
constitutes the freezing compartment or chamber. The smaller compartment is
provided with a piston, to which reciprocating motion is imparted in such manner
as when the mould is charged with water and the machine is in operation to force
water from the smaller compartiment alternately into the lower and upper parts
of the larger or freezing compartment, so as to agitate the water in the freezing
compartment, displace any air it may contain, and thereby render the ice produced
clear and transparent. The moulds are constructed or provided with non-conducting
inaterial at the end at which the smaller compartment is situate, and also at the
bottom, in such manner as to insulate the water in the smaller compartment and

page_text: bottom of the mould from the heat-absorbing action of the circulating brine or
uncongealable liquid.
For this purpose, in some cases, the smaller compartment may be completely sur-
rounded with non-conducting substance, and a horizontal partition may extend
from the lower part of the vertical partition nearly to the other end of the mould,
so as to form a channel for water from the smaller compartment to the further end
of the larger or freezing compartment. The moulds as described are designed to be
arranged transversely within the brine trough, but clear of its bottom, and the
trough is constructed with transverse partitions rising from its bottom to a level
somewhat below the tops of the moulds, so that the brine or uncongealable liquid
may circulate downward at one side of each mould, under the mould, up at the
opposite side of the mould, over the transverse partition of the trough, down at one
side of the next mould, under its bottom, up at its other side, over the next parti-
tion of the trough, and so on. In order further to protect the water in the smaller
compartment of the mould from the cooling influence of the brine or uncongealable
liquid we provide for cach mould a recess of suitable form and dimensions to receivo
that portion of the mould containing the smaller compartment, and we provide
sheet india-rubber or other packing or means to prevent the circulation of brine or
uncongealable liquid in the said recesses when the moulds are in their places in the
trough.
Referring to the accompanying Drawings,―
Fig. 1 (Sheet 1) shews an apparatus according to our Invention partly in eleva-
tion and partly in longitudinal vertical section.
Fig. 2 is an end view partly in section.
Fig. 3 is a plan partly in section.
1, 1, are moulds of thin shect inetal, such as copper, each having its interior
divided by a vertical partition 2 into two compartments 3, 4, communicating with
each other near the top, as at 5, and near the bottoin, as at 6. The larger com-
partment 3 is the freezing compartment or chamber. The smaller compartiment 4
is lined with an internal casing, between which and the vertical partition 2 and
sides and end of the mould is inserted non-conducting material, such as charcoal or
cork dust. 7, 7, are pistons arranged one in each of the small insulated compart-
ments 4 of the moulds. The rods 8, 8, of the pistons belonging to the moulds of
cach trough are secured to a bar 9, provided at its ends with slides arranged to
work up and down in guides 10 carried by the framing 11. 12 is a rocking shaft,
provided at its extremities with levers 13 connected by rods 14 to the bars 9. 15
is a slotted arm through which rocking motion is imparted to the shaft 12, which is
thus caused to give the requisite upward and downward movement to the bars 9
and pistons 7.
Before the machine is put into operation each mould 1 is charged with water to
be frozen.
The bottom 3a of each mould is constructed of two thicknesses of metal, with
interposed non-conducting material to insulate the water in the lower part of the
mould from the heat absorbing action of the circulating brine or uncongealable
liquid. The dotted line 3b in Fig. 2 shews a horizontal partition extending from
the lower part of the vertical partition 2 nearly to the other end of the mould, so as
to form a channel for water from the smaller compartment 4 to the further end of
the larger or freezing compartment 3, but we do not in all cases use such horizontal
partitions. 16, 16, are brine troughs, within which the moulds 1 are arranged
transversely, but clear of the trough bottoms, as shewn. 17, 17, are transverse par-
titions rising from the trough bottoms to a level somewhat below the tops of the
moulds. 18, 18, are the inlets for brine or uncongealable liquid, which circulates,
as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 1, downward at one side of each mould, under
the mould, up at the opposite side of the mould, over the transverse partition of the
trough, down at one side of the next mould, under its bottom, up at its other side,
over the next partition of the trough, and so on, as already explained, till it escapes
by outlets at 18ª.

page_text: On reference to the sectional plan view, Fig. 3, it will be seen that the water in
the smaller compartiment 4 of each mould is additionally protected from the
cooling influence of the brine or uncongealable liquid by fitting the inould in a
recess.
„Figs. 4, 5, and 6 (Sheet 2) are detail views to a larger scale shewing the arrange-
ments whereby we insulate the mould bottoms and the smaller compartiments +, and
prevent the circulation of brine or uncongealable liquid in the recesses above referred
to when the moulds are in their places in the troughs.
In these views 3 is the freezing compartiment; 4, the agitating compartment; 2,
the partition; 4, the lining of the agitating compartment; 4b, the interposed non-
conducting material; 10, woodwork lining of the trough 16, in which recesses are
formed, as described, to receive the ends of the moulds, and further insulate them;
20 is sheet india rubber packing to prevent the circulation of brine or uncongealable
liquid in the said recesses when the moulds are in their places in the trough. Other
parts shewn are marked as in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.
Although we have shewn a double apparatus, that is, one with two troughs, it
will be evident single apparatus may be constructed according to our Invention.
Having now described the nature of the said Invention and the manner of
carrying it into practical effect, we would have it understood that we do not claim
generally the use of pistons for agitating liquid during the refrigerating process, nor
do we claim generally the making of ico by causing brine or uncongealable liquid
to circulate outside moulds containing the liquid to be frozen, but what we consider
to be novel and original and therefore clain as secured to us under the Letters
Patent hereinbefore in part recited is, the constructing and arranging apparatus for
making ice in removeable moulds, substantially as hereinbefore described with
reference to the accompanying Drawings, and particularly providing the removeable
icc moulds 1 with compartments or chambers insulated, as hereinabove described,
communicating with the upper and lower portions of the freezing compartments,
and in which pistons are arranged to work in such manner as to force water from
the insulated compartments alternately into the lower and upper parts of the
freezing compartments, so as to thoroughly agitate the body of water in the freezing
compartments during the refrigerating process, all substantially as hereinbefore
described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Augustus Gorman and John Walker,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Nineteenth day of February,
1