Year: 1888

page_text: I, WILLIAM HITCHCOCK-SPENCER, of Hitchin, in the County of Herts, Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to a sort of kier or apparatus for the treatment under
pressure of Rhea or China grass and other vegetable fibrous matters from which it
is necessary to extract the gummy matter enclosing and permeating the fibres, in
order to separate as much as possible the individual fibres.
The apparatus of this invention is designed to be used not only for the operation
of ungumming the vegetable fibrous materials but also, in the case of Rhea, for
removing the brown pellicle or epidermis which envelopes the fibres as well as to wash
the fibres after ungumming for bleaching and dyeing the same and for expressing
the liquids used in the above mentioned operations.
The apparatus is specially designed to enable the above mentioned operations to be
performed with the least possible manipulation or fatigue of the fibres, so that their
strength may not be impaired.
The apparatus comprises a closed cylinder casing capable of supporting a certain
steam pressure and provided with the necessary connections with a boiler or other
heater, and with a filter and other receptacles for transmitting water and steam
through the cylinder and for use in passing in and out the liquid composition with
which the fibres are treated. Within, and nearly filling, this cylinder is a revolving
cylindrical cage of the peculiar construction hereafter described, in which the matters
to be treated are packed, and to enable this to be done the cage is made removable
from the casing. For this purpose, the casing is provided at one end with a cover
secured by locking bolts and removable along with the cage and its shaft, the latter
being coupled, by a clutch within the casing, with the driving shaft which passes
through the permanently closed end of the casing. The cage shaft is supported at
this end by a bearing movable along guide rails fixed to the inside of the outer casing
whilst at its other end it is supported on a carriage running on guide rails, so that
the cage can be withdrawn by a longitudinal motion from the casing.
The cage is in the form of a cylinder and is constructed of concentric series of
what constitute practically rings or ribs carried by radial arms and furnished with
inwardly directed radial points or tines for penetrating the mass of vegetable
.

page_text: material and holding it in place during treatment. The radial arms of each set are
pivoted at their inner ends to a collar fast on the shaft and are braced together at
their outer ends at equal distances apart by circumferential bracing bars so as to
constitute a rigid frame or head, there being any desired number of these frames
or heads placed at a few inches apart throughout the length of the cylinder. These
several frames or heads are braced to one another in the longitudinal direction of
the drum by longitudinal tie bars which are made tubular for lightness and which
also form the centres and connecting bolts for the bracing bars and segments of the
tined ribs or rings hereafter described.
The bracing bars at the outer ends of the radial arms are pivoted at one end to a
rib and bolted at the other end to the adjacent arm so that by disconnecting two
adjacent bracing bars from the same arm that arm being pivoted at its inner end may
be swung towards either of the adjacent arms, the whole of the arms in alignment
with each other along the cylinder being thus set free if desirable. Upon each radial
arm is pivoted a number of tined segments at equal distances apart, the length of
these segments being proportional to their radial distance from the shaft and the
free ends of these segments being supported by overlapping the pivoted ends of the
adjacent segments and being held between them and stops on the radial arms so as
to collectively form practically concentric series of rings, as above described.
By swinging the radial arms on their pivots as above mentioned, all the tined
segments supported thereby become freed and may be swung outwards on their
pivoted ends in order to allow of the material to be treated being packed into that
segment of the cage. This is done by laying the material longitudinally in the
space between the shaft and the innermost segment which is then returned to position,
the inwardly directed tines dividing and keeping the material separate and in position.
This innermost segment is then secured in position by engaging its free end with the
radial bar and the operation of packing is then proceeded with by successively filling
the spaces between the several tined segments and securing them in succession until
the whole segment of the cage is filled from the centre te the circumference. The
radial arms are then secured by the bracing bars, and the other segments of the cage
are then filled in a similar manner in succession until the cage is wholly filled. The
tined segment bars of the last segment to be filled are secured somewhat differently
to the others, inasmuch as their free ends do not overlap the pivoted ends of the
adjacent segments, but are held in place by abutting against them and against each
other.
The cage may be divided transversely into compartments by perforated or wire
gauze diaphragms fixed to the several sets of heads or radial arms above described,
and the circumference of the cage may be clothed with perforated sheet metal or
wire gauze, and the cylinder may be divided into two or more independent
compartments.
The outer casing may be provided with circulation pipes for heating the liquid, or
the latter may be heated by other means. The lye or other liquid used for treating
the materials is strained and filtered, the filtration and circulation of the liquor
being continuous, suitable drain or catch-boxes being interposed between the kier
and the filter to intercept dirt and loose particles.
The liquids are expressed from the material by bringing the arms together so as to
squeeze the treated material between them, the sides, top, and ends of each segment
being covered with perforated zinc or strong galvanized iron gauze to allow the
liquid to pass away as well as to admit it freely during the process of ungumming etc.
Dated this 23rd day of July 1888.
W. HITCHCOCK-SPENCER.
By A. M. & Wm. Clark,
53, Chancery Lane, London,
Patent Agents.

page_text: other Vegetable Fibrous Matters.
I, WILLIAM HITCHCOCK-SPENCER, of Hitchin, in the County of Herts, 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 a sort of kier or apparatus for the treatment under
pressure of Rhea or China grass, and other vegetable fibrous matters from which it is
necessary to extract the gummy matter enclosing and permeating the fibres, in order
to separate as much as possible the individual fibres.
The apparatus of this invention is designed to be used not only for the operation
of ungumming the vegetable fibrous materials but also, in the case of Rhea, for
removing the brown pellicle or epidermis which envelopes the fibres as well as for
washing the fibres after ungumming, for bleaching and dyeing the same, and for
expressing the liquids used in the above mentioned operations.
The apparatus is specially designed to enable the above mentioned operations to be
performed with the least possible manipulation or fatigue of the fibres so that their
strength may not be impaired.
Reference is to be had to the accompanying two sheets of drawings forming part of
this specification wherein figure 1 represents a longitudinal sectional elevation of the
kier, the outer clothing of wire gauze being removed from two of the cages.
Figure 2 is a side elevation of the kier. Figure 3 is a cross-section shewing an end
view of one of the cages. Figure 4 is a cross section shewing the collapsible cage
within the casing. Figure 5 is a similar view shewing the cage partially withdrawn
and one compartment open for charging the cage. Figure 6 is a similar view to
figure 5 of a modified arrangement. The same letters of reference indicate similar
parts in all the figures.
The apparatus comprises a closed horizontal cylinder or casing A made of boiler
plate and capable of supporting a steam pressure of pounds to the square inch and
provided with the necessary connections to a boiler or heater and to a filter and
other receptacles for transmitting water and steam through the cylinder and for
use in passing in and out the liquid composition with which the fibres are to be
treated. Within, and nearly filling, this cylinder is a number of revolving cylin-
drical cages B B¹ B' of the peculiar construction hereafter described in which the
matters to be treated are packed and to enable this to be done the cages are made
removable from the casing. For this purpose, the casing is provided at the front
end with a cover C, secured by locking bolts c and removable along with the cages
and their shaft D, the latter being coupled detachably by a clutch E within the
casing with the driving shaft F which passes through the rear or permanently closed
end of the casing, the one half of the clutch being keyed on the shaft D and the
other half on the shaft F. The cage shaft D is supported within the casing by
C

page_text: bearings carried by end and intermediate cross-heads F F F supported by rollers at
their ends running upon guide rails G formed by angle irons fixed along the sides
of the casing A whilst at its other end the shaft D is supported in a bearing
mounted on a carriage H running on guide rails on the ground and provided with
wheel and rack gear whereby the carriage can be traversed along its rails.
carriage H also supports the cover C. By this means the cages can be wholly
withdrawn from the casing, the crosshead rollers running along the rails G which
extend quite up to the front end or mouth of the casing.
.
The
The cages are each in the form of a cylinder constructed of concentric series of
curved bars or segments I together constituting rings or ribs and which are carried
by sets of radial arms K for holding the material in place during treatment. The
radial arms K of each set are pivoted at their inner ends k to a collar L fast on
the shaft D and are braced together at their outer ends at equal distances apart
by circumferential bracing bars M so as to constitute a rigid frame, there being
any desired number of these frames placed at a few inches apart throughout the
length of the cage. These several frames are braced together in the longitudinal
direction by tie-bolts N which traverse tubular distance pieces n. These tie bolts or
some of them also form the centres upon which the segments I pivot as hereafter
described. The bracing bars M are pivoted at one end m to an arm K and are
detachably secured at their free ends as hereafter described so that when the cage
is withdrawn from the casing by disconnecting two adjacent sets of bracing bars M,
as shewn in figure 5, the one row of arms K in alignment with each other may be
swung on their pivots k towards either of the adjacent rows of arms, thus giving
access to the interior of the cage. To permit of this motion the segments I are
pivoted at equal distances apart, each by one of its ends to one of the tie bolts N
immediately alongside one of the arms K whilst the free ends of these segments
are supported, so as to be prevented from flying outwards by overlapping the corre-
sponding tie bar of the adjacent arm K without being connected thereto so that when
one of the sets of arms K is swung on its pivots k, as shown in figure 5, the segments I
attached thereto are free to slide into the adjacent compartment of the cage, as shewn.
By swinging one of the sets of radial arms on their pivots as above mentioned, all the
segments I supported thereby and pivoted to one of the adjacent arms K, become
freed and may be swung outwards, as shewn in figure 5, in order to allow of the
material to be treated being packed into that segment of the cage. This is done by
laying the bundles of fibrous materials longitudinally in the space between the shaft
and the innermost ring of segments I which are then returned to position. These
innermost segments are then secured in position by engaging their free ends with the
corresponding tie-bars of the adjacent arm K and the operation of packing is then
proceeded with by successively filling the spaces between the several rings of segments
and securing them in succession until the whole segmental compartment of the cage is
filled from the centre to the circumference. The radial arms which were swung aside
are then returned to position and secured by the bracing bars M and the other com-
partments of the cage are then filled in a similar manner in succession until the cage
is wholly filled. The segment bars I of one compartiment which is the last to be
filled are secured somewhat differently to the others, inasmuch as their free ends do
not overlap the pivoted ends of the adjacent segments, but are bent outwards as at i
and are held in place by abutting against the adjacent ones in the circumference and
against each other in the radial direction. The several sets of segments I then form
practically concentric series of rings. The segments I are furnished with inwardly
directed or radial pointed tines ¹ (a few only being shewn in the drawing) which
penetrate the material and hold it in position. These tines have eyes which are
slipped on to the segments and through which the latter are free to slide when the
segments are forced into the adjacent compartment in loading and unloading the
cylinder.
In figure 6 the segments I do not overlap the adjacent ones but all are provided at
their free ends with the abutting outwardly bent ends i, as described in respect of one
of the compartments of figure 5, so that any compartment of the cage may be opened

page_text: at will by swinging the segments outwardly instead of causing them to slide into the
adjacent compartment, the cage being otherwise similar in construction to that shewn
in the other figures. In this case, also, the segments I have radial tines i¹, as before
described; but in this arrangement the tines may be fixed to the segments.
The cage is clothed or enveloped circumferentially with perforated sheet metal or
galvanized iron wire gauze O put on in the form of panels corresponding to the
bracing bars M and swinging outwards therewith. The bars M are secured at their
free ends by hasps P hinged at p to solid disc heads R enclosing the ends of the cage,
the hasps P being held in operative position by springs and taking on to the pro-
jecting ends of the tie bolts N which fall into notches in the edges of the heads R.
The casing A would be provide with circulation pipes for heating the liquid, or the
latter may be heated by other means.
The lye or other liquid used for treating the materials, is strained and filtered the
filtration and circulation of the liquor being continuous, suitable drain or catch boxes
being interposed between the kier and the filter to intercept dirt and loose particles.
The liquids are expressed from the material by bringing together the arms of the
cage shown in figures 4 and 5 so as to squeeze the treated material between them.
The construction shown in figure 6 is not however suited for this particular
purpose.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is-
1. An apparatns for treating fibrous materials, consisting of a horizontal cylindrical
casing in connection with apparatus for heating (and if necessary also filtering) the
liquid and causing it to circulate through the casing, and of a cage or cages
revolvable within the casing and supported so as to be removable end wise there-
from, substantially as specified.
2. In an apparatus such as herein described mounting one end of the cage shaft
and the corresponding end cover of the cylinder upon an external travelling carriage
and the other end of the shaft upon a support travelling within the casing, so as to
permit of the withdrawal of the cage or cages from the cylinder, substantially as and
for the purpose specified.
3. In combination with a cage shaft and cages longitudinally removable from the
cylinder as described, a clutch coupling connecting the inner end of the cage shaft to
the driving shaft within the cylinder, as specified.
4. In an apparatus such as herein described, the construction of the cage of sets of
pivoted radial arms dividing the cage into segmental compartments, in combination
with concentric series of segments pivoted to, and supported by, the radial arms as
described, and with bracing segments pivoted, and secured, to the ends of the
radial arms, all substantially as specified.
5. In a drum constructed as herein described, the combination with the concentric
series of segments of radial tines as, and for the purpose, specified.
6. The herein described cage constructed of radial arms, pivoted concentric
segments, pivoted bracing bars enclosing heads and circumferential panels of gauze
or perforated metal applied to the bracing bars, substantially as specified.
Dated this 23rd day of April 1889