Improvements in Apparatus employed in the Manufacture of Butter.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 28th Nov., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 28th Aug., 18.4-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus employed in the Manufacture of Butter.
I THOMAS BRADFORD of the Crescent Iron Works Salford in the County of
Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My improved apparatus consists of a combined churn and butter worker the
improvements relating also to butter workers.
In the first place the churn consists of an outer vessel of suitable size and shape
(preferably rectangular) and made of suitable material by preference of wood or
tinned steel.
In the smaller sizes I propose to make this outer vessel a fixture and in the
larger sizes I may centre or mount it upon trunnions so that by suitable gear it can
be the more readily turned over either entirely or partially in order the more
conveniently to empty both the liquid and the solid products.
P
The interior, that is, the apparatus by which the process of churning or butter
making is to be accomplished is constructed as follows:-
For the smaller apparatus it consists of a solid wooden roller, and for the larger
apparatus a hollow metal or wooden cylinder, the said roller or cylinder is mounted
in suitable bearings fixed inside the outer vessel, the space between the outer
periphery of the roller or cylinder and the inner surface of the outer vessel being
comparatively small compared to the diameter of the said inner cylinder which
when hollow is water tight and provided with a suitable inlet so that it can be filled
with cold or warm water as desired, for raising or lowering the temperature of the
cream or milk.
I propose to use this inner roller or cylinder in various ways according to the
quantity and consistency of the milk or cream to be churned. First I propose to use
the inner roller or cylinder with its surface quite plain; and second, upon this inner
cylinder or roller I fix a series of current breakers of peculiar construction
hereafter described for the purpose of more effectually aërating and agitating the
cream.
The chief objects of the inner drum or cylinder are to displace the cream thereby
from the centre of motion where agitation and aëration is least, to the periphery
where aëration and agitation is greatest, and to give to the said agitation a specific
motion which I have found by long experience to be not only most effectual for
churning but also obtainable at the required speed with a minimum amount of
power.
By the displacement of the cream in the outer vessel by means of the roller or
cylinder as before described the said cream will be more perfectly operated upon by
the following peculiar arrangement of current breakers.
These are comparatively short arms or projections fixed on the roller or cylinder
and the outer breakers are arranged or inclined so as to give a central direction to
the cream from each end or side of the churning vessel, and in the centre I propose
to create a vortex by means of a curved or shovel shaped breaker, the peculiar
effect thus obtained is that while during the rotation of the roller or cylinder the
shovelling away of the cream in an upward direction by the central breaker takes
place, the breakers which converge from each extremity of the inner cylinder or
roller keep filling up the cavity with singular force for the simple means employed
to create such force.

page_text: A further modification of this roller consists in having the said roller turned
helically half way or nearly so from the right and half way or nearly so from the
left, dividing it in the centre by a web or ring of about equal diameter with the
whole internal space of the outer vessel.
The cream can by this means be drawn by the rotation of the roller eitber
towards or away from the central web or ring by which in the former case it is
thrown outwards, and thus converging or diverging currents may be kept up in the
churn.
I prefer to actuate the inner cylinder or roller by suitable gearing and pulleys, or
by chain gearing.
My improvements with regard to the working or making up of the butter after
churning are as follows:-
I employ a table which for churns of the smaller sizes forms part of the stand
upon
which the said churns are secured, and on the other end of which I propose to
place the usual rectangular tray, but I secure one end of the tray, that nearest to
the churn, by hinges and the other end I propose to raise and secure at any
desired angle by a rack fixed to the framework of the tray and a support pivotted
in the stand.
In conjunction with this tray I employ a helical roller as before patented by
myself, in conjunction with an arched table, but I now use the said roller on the
tray either when lying flat or when one end is raised as before described so as to
incline the said tray to any desired angle according to the state of the butter.
A further desirable improvement or addition will consist of a small perforated
tin screen fitted into a suitable wooden frame which I insert in grooves in the sides
of the tray at a certain distance from the hinged end thereof, so that after the
churning is completed and while the butter is still in a granular form, I can lift
the granulated butter from the churn and place it upon the tray and then by
gradually tilting the rack end of the tray I permit the butter-milk or the cleansing
water to drain through the perforated screen and thence run away.
Having thus drained the butter I now proceed to work out the remaining
moisture, either before or after salting, by the helical roller. In order to do this
more effectually than with my original Patent, in which the length of the roller was
made to the width of the tray, upon the sides of which it is made to work, I now
take the said roller about one half a thread less in length than the width of the said
tray, and whereas in my former Patent, the helical roller made a ridge and furrow
in the butter equal to the pitch of the worm in the roller, and the fluted layer of
butter had to be rolled up into a lump to be reworked time after time until
sufficiently worked, I now by a simple movement of the helical roller to the right
or the left divide both the ridge and furrow, alternately by which the butter is
much more effectually and quickly cleared of its moisture, and with less injury to
the texture of the butter than was previously caused by the necessity for more
frequently having to roll up the butter for reworking.
A further improvement I make in the lid or cover of the churn by means of
which while leaving the lid partially open for complete aëration I so construct it
that all slop of the cream while being agitated at a high speed is effectually
avoided; in previous churns of this type the waste arising from such almost
unavoidable slop has been very objectionable. I obtain this effect by making the
lid with one edge sloping inwards towards the opening for aëration which is at one
side of the churn and where it is then made with a vertical edge of such length as
to prevent the splashing out of the cream.
Dated this 27th day of November 1002
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus employed in the Manufacture of Butter.
I THOMAS BRADFORD of the Crescent Iron Works Salford in the County of
Lancaster, 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:-
My improved apparatus consists of a combined churn and butter worker the
improvements relating also to butter workers, as will be readily understood from
the following description on reference to the annexed sheet of drawings, on which
Fig. 1 is a side elevation and Fig. 2 a plan view partly in section of a combined.
churn and butter worker constructed according to my invention. Fig. 3 shews a
detached part hereafter more particularly referred to.
In the first place the churn consists of an outer vessel a of suitable size and shape
(preferably rectangular as shewn) and made of suitable material, for example of
wood or tinned steel or other metal.
I propose to form the inner churning roller bin various ways according to the
quality and consistency of the milk or cream to be churned. For example I may
use a roller constructed according to the Specifications of my applications for
Letters Patent No. 18768 dated October 6th, 1893, No. 18825 dated October 7th
1893, and No. 24011 dated December 13th 1893. The drawings shew a plain
roller without dashers.
I prefer to actuate the inner cylinder or roller by suitable gearing and pulleys,
or by chain gearing as seen on Figs. 1 and 2.
My improvements with regard to the working or making up of the butter after
churning are as follows:-
I employ a table c which, for churns of the smaller sizes, forms part of the
stand c c upon which the said churns are secured, as seen by Figs. 1 and 2, and on
the other end of which I propose to place the usual rectangular tray d, but I secure
one end of the tray, that nearest to the churn, when used in the combination as
shewn, by. hinges or pivots d* (see Fig. 1) and the other end I propose to raise and
secure at any desired angle by a rack c² fixed to or formed on the framework C, and
a support e pivotted to the tray d, or the rack may be on the framework of the
tray d and the support pivotted to the stand c.
In conjunction with this tray I employ a helical roller_as before protected by
myself, in conjunction with an arched table by Letters Patent No. 20618 dated
December 23rd 1889, but I now use the said roller on the tray d, either when lying
flat or when one end is raised as before described, so as to incline the said tray d to
any desired angle (as seen by Fig. 1) according to the state of the butter.
A further desirable improvement or addition will consist of a small perforated
tin screen fitted into a suitable wooden frame, or a grooved or notched wooden
screen fas shewn at Fig. 2, and in detached partial elevation and section at Fig. 3.
I insert this screen fin grooves fl in the sides of the tray d at a certain distance or
distances from the hinged end thereof, see Fig. 2, so that after the churning is
completed and while the butter is still in a granular form, I can lift the granulated
butter from the churn and place it upon the tray, and then by gradually tilting the
rack end of the tray d I permit the butter-milk or the cleansing water to drain
through the screen fand thence run away, through an opening d¹, into a suitable
vessel d', see Fig. 1.
Having thus drained the butter I now proceed to work out the remaining
moisture, either before or after salting, by the helical roller g. In order to do this
more effectually than with my original Patent, in which the length of the roller was
made equal to the width of the tray d, upon the sides of which its supporting frame
is made to work, I now take the said roller g about one half a thread less in length

page_text: than the width of the said tray, and whereas in my former Patent, the helical roller
made a ridge and furrow in the butter equal to the pitch of the worm in the roller,
and the fluted layer of butter had to be rolled up into a lump to be reworked time
after time until sufficiently worked, I am now able (by a simple movement of the
helical roller to the right or the left by sliding its axle or shaft g¹ in its bearings g³
as shown by the dotted position on Fig. 2) to divide both the ridge and furrow
alternately, making ridge into furrow and furrow into ridge, by which the butter is
much more effectually and quickly cleared of its moisture, and with less injury to
the texture of the butter than was previously caused by the necessity for more
frequently having to roll up the butter for reworking.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
:―
1. The combination of a churn with a tray and roller for working the butter
mounted upon the frame or support thereof, the said tray being hinged at one end
and provided with an adjustable support at the other end, substantially as and for
the purposes hereinbefore described.
2. The combination with a frame or table, of a butter working tray hinged or
pivotted at one end thereof, and an adjustable support and rack for the said tray at
the other end thereof, the said tray being provided with a perforated, notched, or
grooved partition, or screen, for draining the butter substantially as hereinbefore
described.
3. The combination with a butter working tray of a helically grooved roller so
mounted and of such a length that its position can be slightly shifted end wise to
occupy a different position across the width of the tray, and thereby to operate
alternately upon ridge and furrow, making ridge into furrow and furrow into ridge,
substantially as and for the purpose hereinbefore described.
Dated this 27th day of August 1894.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.