IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PULPING OR DISINTEGRATING FAT AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Richard Wheen, the younger, of the Firm of Richard
Wheen and Sons, of Deptford Creek, in the County of Kent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR PULPING OR DISINTEGRATING FAT
AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
Sealed the 15th November 1878, and dated the 10th September 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Richard Wheen at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 10th September 1878.
RICHARD WHEEN, the younger, of the Firm of Richard Wheen and Sons, of
Deptford Creek, in the County of Kent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PULPING OR DISINTEGRATING FAT AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
My Invention relates to an improved construction of that description of pulping
or disintegrating machinery, in which a series of revolving blades are caused to
travel in contact with a number of fixed blades inside a casing, so as to act with a
cutting or crushing action on the substance to be reduced to a pulp or to be disin-
tegrated.
My improvements have more particularly for their object to render such machines
applicable for reducing stringy viscous matters, such as butchers' fat, which have a
tendency to clog, thus preventing the substance from passing freely through the
machine.
For this purpose I construct the machine as follows:-A cylindrical casing has
fixed within it a series of radial knives or blades arranged in tiers one above the
other at suitable distances apart, one set of such blades being fixed at or near the
closed bottom of the casing, and in such bottom I form one or more narrow radial
slits, by preference one to each of the said blades, constituting the escape openings
for the pulped substances, the openings being regulated by slides in any convenient
known manner. Centrally in the casing is a vertical shaft, having a series of radial
knives or cutting blades arranged in tiers corresponding to the tiers of fixed blades,
so that as the former revolve they pass with their cutting edges in contact with the
D... 031

page_text: edges of the fixed blades, and thus operate with a cutting, shearing, or crushing.
action. At the top of the casing is a hopper, extending over about one-half of the
casing, the other half of which is covered by a shell-like or winding surface, sloping
from a point on the one side of the hopper at some distance from the lower end
thereof down to the edge of the casing. Immediately below this shell-like covering
a propelling arm or blade is fixed to the shaft, which in revolving propels the fat or
other material in the lower part of the hopper into the inclined covering, and in thus
gradually forcing the material down the inclined passage causes it to be effectually
fed into and operated upon by the pulping mill.
Although the said apparatus is more particularly adapted for pulping viscous
substances, yet it may also be employed with advantage for pulping or disintegrating
other substances, such as fruit, seeds, and the like.

page_text: $
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Richard Wheen in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 7th
March 1879.
RICHARD WHEEN, the younger, of the Firm of Richard Wheen and Sons, of
Deptford Creek, in the County of Kent. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR
PULPING OR DISINTEGRATING FAT AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."
My Invention relates to an improved construction of that description of pulping
or disintegrating machinery, in which a series of revolving blades are caused to
travel in contact with a number of fixed blades inside a casing, so as to act with a
cutting or crushing action on the substance to be reduced to a pulp or to be dis-
integrated.
My improvements have more particularly for their object to render such machines
applicable for reducing stringy viscous matters, such as butchers' fat, which have a
tendency to clog, thus preventing the substance from passing freely through the
machine.
For this purpose I construct the machine as follows:-A cylindrical casing has
fixed within it a series of radial knives or blades arranged in tiers one above the
other at suitable distances apart, one set of such blades being fixed at or near the
closed bottom of the casing, and in such bottom I form one or more narrow radial
slits, by preference one to each of the said blades, constituting the escape openings
for the pulped substances, the openings being regulated by slides in any convenient
known manner. Centrally in the casing is a vertical shaft having a series of radial
knives or cutting blades arranged in tiers corresponding to the tiers of fixed blades,
so that as the former revolve they pass, with their cutting edges in contact with the
edges of the fixed blades, and thus operate with a cutting, shearing, or crushing
action. At the top of the casing is a hopper, extending over about one-half of the
casing, the other half of which is covered by a.shell-like or winding surface, sloping
from a point on the one side of the hopper at some distance from the lower end
thereof down to the edge of the casing: Immediately below this shell-like covering
a propelling arm or blade is fixed to the shaft, which in revolving propels the fat
or other material in the lower part of the hopper into the inclined covering, and in
thus gradually forcing the material down the inclined passage causes it to be
effectually fed into and operated upon by the pulping mill.
Although the said apparatus is more particularly adapted for pulping viscous
substances, yet it may also be employed with advantage for pulping or disintegrating
other substances, such as fruit, seeds, and the like.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Fig. 1 of the Drawings shews a front elevation of the above-described improved
construction of pulping or disintegrating machine.
Fig. 2 shews a side elevation.
Fig. 3 shews a vertical section on line Y, Y, Fig. 4, which shews a plan of the
machine.
Fig. 5 shews a plan of the under side; and Fig. 6 shews a sectional plan on line
X, X, Fig. 3.
The machine is by preference built up of a number of separate rings A, A, to
which are secured the radial arms B that constitute the fixed knives or blades.
The cutting edges of these may either be formed on the metal of the arm itself, or
this may have separate pieces of steel, as indicated at b, Figs. 3 and 6, secured to it
in an adjustable or removeable manner, on which the cutting edge is formed.
Through the central boss of each set of arms or blades B passes a revolving driving
shaft C, on which are fixed radial. revolving blades D, so arranged that there is a
set of revolving blades immediately above each set of fixed blades, so that by the

page_text: rotation of the former in close contiguity to the latter the substance passing through
is cut up, pulped, or disintegrated in any manner well understood.
The spaces between the fixed blades of the lowest tier are closed in by segmental
plates E, E, constituting with the blades the closed bottom of the machine, the
plates being so formed as to leave narrow openings e, e, at that side of each fixed
.blade on which the cutting edge is situated, which openings constitute the discharge
prifices for the disintegrated or pulped matter.
These openings may be varied in size to suit circumstances by either changing
the plates E, E, or by providing upon these other adjustable plates that can be made
to close the openings more or less.
The top of the machine' is closed by a cover, consisting, firstly, of a hopper F, which
extends over about one-half of the machine, and through which the material to be
operated upon is introduced. The other part of the cover consists of a helical
passage G, which is separated from the hopper F by a vertical division plate H, but
which communicates with the hopper through an opening shewn in dotted lines at
h; Fig. 1. The material being fed into the hopper as it descends therein is caught
by the uppermost revolving blades or arms D, and thrown thereby through the
aperture à into the helical passage H, where, by the continued introduction of fresh
material, it is gradually moved forward and downward in the direction of the arrow,
Fig. 4, so as to produce a continued regular downward feed of the material through the
machine, which operation cannot be insured in the case of viscous or stringy materials,
such as animal fat, if the hopper extends over the whole of the machine without the
helical passage, as in ordinary pulping machines.
The orifice h, through which the material is propelled into the passage, is by
preference covered at top by a shield h', Fig. 4, so as to prevent the material in the
upper part of the hopper at that point from interfering with the action of the pro-
pelling arms or blades.
For the convenience of taking the apparatus, to pieces, and fitting the parts
together again for the purpose of cleansing or repairs, it is preferred to make some
or all of the stationary arms or blades B-separate from the rings A, as shewn in-the-
Drawing, but they might be made in one casting therewith.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, I wish it to be understood that I do not limit myself to
the precise form and arrangement of the helical or inclined passage and hopper
herein described and shewn on the Drawings, as it will be evident that variously
modified arrangements might be adopted for carrying out the method of operating
described, but I claim,-
First. The construction of pulping or... disintegrating machines, wherein the
material to be acted upon is fed into a hopper or receptacle, whence it is propelled
by revolving arms or their equivalents into a helical or inclined passage, whereby it
is caused to be fed gradually forward and downward a
1.among a series of revolving
and fixed pulping or disintegrating blades, substantially as berein described.
Second. In combination with pulping or disintegrating machines, constructed and
operating as set forth in the preceding claim, the provision in-the bottom plate of
the machine of a series of radial fixed blades, at the one edge of which long narrow
openings are formed in the bottom plate for the discharge of the pulped or disin-
tegrated matter, substantially as heréin described.
.
In witness whereof, I, the said Richard Wheen, the younger, have hereunto.
set my hand and seal, this Sixth day of. March, in the year of our Lord*
One thousand eight hundred-and seventy-nine.
RICHARD WHEEN, Jr., (L.S.)