IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE. MANU- FACTURE OF SUGAR
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Henry Johnson, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
OR CONNECTED WITH CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES EMPLOYED IN THE. MANU-
FACTURE OF SUGAR." A communication from abroad by Albert Fesca, of
Berlin, in the Empire of Germany.
Sealed the 21st May 1880, and dated the 24th November 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Henry Johnson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 24th November 1879.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES
EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR." A communication from abroad by
Albert Fesca, of Berlin, in the Empire of Germany.
This Invention relates to improvements in centrifugal machines for the manu-
facture of loaf sugar, whereby a powerful drying action is obtained without danger
of accidents, whilst the machine runs with such smoothness and steadiness that the
building is not liable to be injured by the vibration.
The injurious vibration is prevented according to this Invention partly by the
action of a balance regulator, and partly by the employment in the drum of
separate receptacles for the sugar loaves, so that the position of each loaf is
adjusted with such precision that a perfectly equal distribution of the load on the
drum is obtained, as well as uniformity in the weight of the loaves, notwith-
standing any want of care on the part of the workmen employed for arranging the
loaves. The machine is moreover constructed in such a manner that the manual
labour required is reduced to a minimum, the operations of placing the sugar in the
drum and removing the dried loaves therefrom being effected by means of a
mechanical arrangement, as hereinafter described.
In carrying out this Invention as applied to a centrifugal machine with a drum
having an open top, and provided with a balance regulator, the drum is driven
from below by means of a band and pulley mounted upon a vertical shaft working
in a spring bearing, above which is placed a balance regulator enclosed in a suitable

page_text: casing. The drum is provided with two or more rows of conical receptacles for the
loaves arranged one above the other; these receptacles fit tightly onto each mould
filled with sugar, and secure the moulds in their proper position in the drum. The
said receptacles are formed by a truncated hollow cone, and a perforated disc
hollowed out on one side, and serving as a point of support for the apex of the
mould, and also to conduct the syrup expelled from the sugar by the centrifugal
force, by means of its central orifice, to a corresponding opening in the side of the
drum. The receptacles are arranged horizontally, and at equal distances apart in
such a manner that their axes radiate from the centre of the drum in each row of
receptacles. As the moulds fit tightly into these receptacles the weight is uniformly
distributed in the drum, and so long as each mould contains an equal weight of
sugar the centrifugal strain is equally balanced in such a manner that the action
of the balance regulator is limited to counteracting the effect of inequalities which
inevitably arise from the unequal expulsion of syrup from the loaves. The employ-
ment of the regulator and arrangement of the receptacles hereinbefore described
thus enables the drum to run with perfect steadiness, a condition which is absolutely
indispensable to enable it to be worked on account of its large dimensions.
The operation of placing the loaves in the drum, and more especially the operation
of removing the same from the drum by manual labour, would be a fatiguing and
tedious process, and in order to obviate this the arrangement hereinafter described
is adopted with a view to performing the said operations as far as possible by meaus
of mechanism.
This arrangement consists principally of a long lever pivotted on a revolving
bearing so as to be capable of moving both horizontally and vertically, and having
a carrier suspended from one end.
Two vertical guides are employed for the reception of the lever in different
positions, and an annular projection or flange is provided on the bottom of the
drum for the reception of a corresponding conical ring on the bottom of the carrier,
which fits into the former when it is required to introduce a loaf into the lower
series or row of conical receptacles; but when it is required to introduce loaves
into the upper series of conical receptacles, a cylindrical support is placed upon the
annular projection on the bottom of the drum, the said support being provided with
a similar annular projection or flange on its upper end for the reception of the
corresponding conical ring on the bottom of the carrier. A table is arranged at
one side of the machine carrying supports for the reception of the carrier and
moulds, and each mould is provided with a ring on one side of its base.
Two operations are performed by the carrier, one of which consists in conveying
a full mould of sugar from the table to the interior of the drum, and depositing the
same in a suitable position to enable it to be moved in the direction of its.axis by
means of the ring herein before referred to from the carrier into one of the conical
receptacles; the other operation performed by the carrier consists in receiving a
mould containing sugar from which the syrup has been expelled in either the upper
or lower series of receptacles, the said mould being drawn on to the carrier by
means of a book inserted in the ring, and conveying the same back to the table at
the side of the machine. A plate bearing against the base of the filled moulds
retains them in their proper position on the carrier. The carrier is retained in
position in the drum by means of the annular projection or flanges hereinbefore
referred to, which are concentric with the axis of the drum, or by means of the
annular projection on the cylindrical support, the bottom of the carrier being pro-
vided with corresponding conical rings which prevent it from moving laterally
when a mould resting upon the carrier is being pushed into one of the conical
receptacles, or being drawn out of the receptacles on to the carrier. When the
carrier is resting on the table it is retained in position by means of the supports
which serve to prevent it from slipping longitudinally when a mould is being placed
upon it or being removed. A ring of india rubber is inserted in a suitable groove
in the bottom of the carrier in such a manner as to project slightly for the purpose
of deadening the shock produced by the descent of the carrier on to the bottom of

page_text: the drum, or on to the support or the table, and which might otherwise have an
injurious effect on the loaf.
The long lever is capable of oscillating in a vertical plane upon its horizontal
axis, the extent of its motion being limited in one direction by means of a suitable
stop, and in the other direction by the carrier coming in contact either with the
bottom of the drum, or with the table. The same lever is also capable of moving
in a horizontal direction by the rotation of its horizontal bearings upon a vertical
axis. The end of the lever from which the carrier is suspended is guided in a
vertical direction by means of the two forked guides in such a manner that when
this end is elevated to a sufficient extent it escapes from the said guides so as to be
free to move in a horizontal direction by turning on the vertical axis.
Motion is imparted to the lever and carrier by means of a handle on the end
opposite to that from which the carrier is suspended for the purpose of placing the
loaves in the drum, as well as for the subsequent removal of the same after the
expulsion of the syrup.
In order to prevent the carrier suspended from the end of the lever from
swinging from side to side during the operations of introducing or removing the
sugar loaves, so as to hinder it from descending properly on to the annular pro-
jections provided for its reception in the drum, or on to the supports on the table,
the arrangements next hereinafter described are employed.
The lever is forked at the end from which the carrier is suspended, the points of
suspension being situate at the extremities of the branches of the fork so as to form
a horizontal axis from which the carrier is suspended. The two bars by which the
carrier is suspended are jointed by pins to slotted bars, and pins acting as stops are
provided on each side of the lever which engage with the slots in the slotted bars.
These slots are made of such a length that when the forked end of the lever is in its
highest position, the pins hereinbefore referred to on the side of the lever come in
contact with the lower end of the slot, and when this end of lever is in its
lowest position, the same pins come in contact with the upper end of the slot.
The mechanical arrangements hereinbefore described enable the loaves to be
placed in the drum, or removal from the same, with a rapidity and precision which
is independent of the skill of the operator, and also effect an accurate and as far as
possible uniform distribution of the load in the drum.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said John Henry Johnson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
May 1880.
JOHN HENRY JOHNSON, of 47, Lincoln's Inn Fields, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN OR CONNECTED WITH CENTRIFUGAL MACHINES
EMPLOYED IN THE MANUFACTURE OF SUGAR." A communication from abroad by
Albert Fisca, of Berlin, in the Empire of Germany.
The said Invention relates to improvements in or connected with centrifugal
machines for the manufacture of loaf sugar, whereby a powerful drying action is
obtained without danger of accidents, whilst the machine runs with such smoothness
and steadiness that the building in which it is erected is not liable to be injured by
the vibration,
The injurious vibration to which former apparatus have been liable is prevented
according to this Invention partly by the action of a balance regulator, and partly
by the employment in the drum of separate receptacles for the sugar loaves, so that
the position of each loaf is adjusted with such precision that a perfectly equal
.distribution of the load on the drum is obtained, as well as uniformity in the
weight of the loaves, notwithstanding any want of care on the part of the workmen
employed for arranging the loaves. The machine is moreover constructed in such a
manner that the manual labour required is reduced to a minimum, the operations
of placing the sugar in the drum and removing the dried loaves therefrom being
performed by means of a mechanical arrangement, as hereinafter described.
In order that the said Invention may be perfectly understood, I shall now proceed
more particularly to describe the same, and for that purpose shall refer to the
several Figures on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, which represent a
centrifugal machine the drum of which is open at the top, and is provided with a
balance regulator, the said drum being driven from below and carried on a vertical
shaft working in moveable spring bearings.
Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings represents a sectional elevation of the
machine, the section being taken along the line 1, 2 (Figure 3).
In this view is shewn a table for the reception of the loaves, as hereinafter
described, with a loaf in its mould resting on the table.
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the machine, the section being taken along
the line 3, 4 (Figure 3). In this view are indicated the table for the reception of
the loaves with a loaf in a mould resting on the table, and also the position of the
loaves in the drum.
Figures 20 and 2b are details of the guides hereinafter referred to.
Figure 3 is a plan partly in section of the machine and loaf table, the section
being taken along the line 5, 6 (Figure 2).
Figures 4 and 5 are details of the loaf holder with a mould in position, Figure 4
being an end elevation, and
Figure 5 a longitudinal section of the same.
Figure 6 represent details of the bearing of the carrier lever hereinafter
referred to.
Figures 7, 8, and 9 are details of the carrier hereinafter referred to, Figure 7
being an end elevation of the said carrier, Figure 8 a vertical longitudinal section
of the same, and
Figure 9 a plan shewing the suspending bars in section.
The same letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the Figures.
G is the drum of the machine, which is driven from below by means of a band
and pulley H, the latter being mounted upon a vertical shaft working in a spring
bearing a, above which is placed a balance regulator enclosed in a suitable casing I.
The drum is provided with two or more rows of conical receptacles 6, 61, for the

page_text: oaves arranged one above the other; these receptacles fit tightly on to each mould
illed with sugar and secure the moulds in their proper position in the drum. The said
receptacles are formed by a truncated hollow cone b and a perforated disc 6' hollowed
out on one side and serving as a point of support for the apex of the mould, Figure 5,
and also to conduct the syrup expelled from the sugar by the centrifugal force by
means of its central orifice to a corresponding opening in the side of the drum.
The receptacles are arranged horizontally and at equal distances apart in such a
manner that their axes radiate from the centre of the drum in each row of
receptacles. As the moulds c fit tightly into these receptacles the weight is uniformly
distributed in the drum, and so long as each mould contains an equal weight of
sugar the centrifugal strain is equally balanced in such a manner that the action
of the balance regulator is limited to counteracting the effect of inequalities which
inevitably arise from the unequal expulsion of syrup from the loaves.
The employment of the regulator and arrangement of the receptacles b, b', herein-
before described, thus enables the drum to run with perfect steadiness, a condition
which is absolutely indispensable to enable it to be worked on account of its large
dimensions.
The operation of placing the loaves in the drum, and more especially the operation
of removing the same from the drum, by manual labour would be a fatiguing and
tedious process, and in order to obviate this the arrangement hereinafter described
is adopted with a view to performing the said operations as far as possible by
means of mechanism.
This arrangement consists principally of a long lever d, Figures 1, 2, and 3,
pivotted on a revolving bearing e, Figures 1, 2, 3, and 6, so as to be capable of
moving both horizontally and vertically, and having a carrier f, (shewn in detail in
Figures 7, 8, and 9,) suspended from one end.
Two vertical guides g and h (see details Figures 2ª and 2b are employed for the
reception of the lever in different positions, and an annular projection or flange i
is provided on the bottom of the drum for the reception of a corresponding conical
ring n on the bottom of the carrier which fits into the former when it is required
to introduce a loaf into the lower series or row of conical receptacles, but when it
is required to introduce loaves into the upper series of conical receptacles, a
cylindrical support k is placed upon the annular projection i on the bottom of the
drum, the said support being provided with a similar annular projection or flange
on its upper end for the reception of the corresponding conical ring n on the
bottom of the carrier. At one side of the machine is arranged a table K carrying
supports o, o, for the reception of the carrier and moulds, and each mould is
provided with a ring m on one side of its. base.
Two operations are performed by the carrier, one of which consists in conveying
a full mould c of sugar from the table K to the interior of the drum, and depositing
the same in a suitable position to enable it to be moved in the direction of its
axis from the carrier into one of the conical receptacles b, b¹, by means of the ring m
hereinbefore referred to; the other operation performed by the carrier consists in
receiving a mould containing sugar from which the syrup has been expelled in
either the upper or lower series of receptacles, the said mould being drawn on to
the carrier by means of a hook inserted in the ring M, and conveying the same back
to the table K at the side of the machine. A plate 1, Figures 7 and 8, bearing
against the base of the filled moulds retains them in their proper position on the
carrier. The carrier is also retained in position in the drum by means of the
annular projection or flanges i hereinbefore referred to, which are concentric with
the axis of the drum, or by means of the annular projection on the cylindrical
support k, the bottom of the carrier being provided with corresponding conical
rings n which prevent it from moving laterally when a mould c resting upon the
carrier is being pushed into one of the conical receptacles, or being drawn out of
the receptacles on to the carrier. When the carrier is resting on the table K it is
retained in position by means of the supports o, o¹, which serve to prevent it from
slipping longitudinally when a mould is being placed upon it or being removed.

page_text: A ring r, Figure 8, of india-rubber is inserted in a suitable groove in the bottom n
of the carrier, in such a manner as to project slightly for the purpose of deadening
the shock produced by the descent of the carrier on to the bottom of the drum, or
on to the support k or the table K, and which might otherwise have an injurious
effect on the loaf.
The long lever d is capable of oscillating in a vertical plane upon its horizontal
axis L, the extent of its motion being limited in one direction by means of a
suitable stop g, and in the other direction by the carrier coming in contact either
with the bottom of the drum or with the table K. The same lever is also capable
of moving in a horizontal direction by the rotation of its horizontal bearings e
upon a vertical axis p, Figure 6. The end of the lever from which the carrier is
suspended is guided in a vertical direction by means of the two forked guides g
and h, in such a manner that when this end is elevated to a sufficient extent, as
shewn in dotted lines in Figure 2, it escapes from the said guides so as to be free
to move in a horizontal direction by turning on the vertical axis p.
Motion is imparted to the lever and carrier by means of a handle at M on the
end opposite to that from which the carrier is suspended for the purpose of placing
the loaves in the drum, as well as for the subsequent removal of the same after the
expulsion of the syrup.
For the purpose of placing a loaf in the drum the carrier is allowed to rest upon
the table, and a filled mould being placed in position on the carrier the latter is
elevated, as hereinbefore described, until the motion of the lever is arrested by the
stop g, the lever is then caused to swing round on its vertical axis p in a horizontal
direction so as to bring the carrier over the centre of the drum in the line 3-4,
Figure 3, after which the lever is caused to engage in the corresponding vertical
guides h, and the end from which the carrier is suspended is lowered until the
carrier is lodged upon the annular projection i on the bottom of the drum or upon
the corresponding annular projection upon the cylindrical support k, hereinbefore
referred to. When it is desired to remove a loaf from the drum the carrier being
allowed to rest on the annular projection provided for its support in the interior of
the drum, the loaf is drawn out of its place in the drum on to the carrier, which is
then elevated vertically by means of the lever to a sufficient height to enable it to
clear the top of the drum; the lever is then caused to swing round horizontally so as
to bring the carrier over the table at the side of the drum, and engages with the
guides g provided for its reception, by means of which it is guided in a vertical
direction until the carrier with the loaf is lodged upon the table K.
In order to prevent the carrier suspended from the end of the lever from swinging
from side to side during the operations herein before described, so as to hinder it
from descending properly on to the annual projections i, k, provided for its
reception in the drum or on to the supports o, o¹, on the table, the arrangements
next hereinafter described are employed.
The lever is forked at the end from which the carrier is suspended, the points of
suspension being situate at x at the extremities of the branches of the fork, so as to
form a horizontal axis from which the carrier is suspended, as shewn in the plan
Figure 3. The two bars & by which the carrier is suspended are jointed by pins t
to slotted bars u, and pins v acting as stops are provided on each side of the lever
which engage with the slots in the slotted bars. These slots are made of such a
length that when the forked end of the lever is in its highest position the pins v
herein before referred to on the side of the lever come in contact with the lower end
of the slot, and when this end of lever is in its lowest position the same pins come
in contact with the upper end of the slot, as shewn in Figures 1 and 2.
The mechanical arrangements herein before described enable the loaves to be
placed in the drum or removed from the same with a rapidity and precision which
are independent of the skill of the operator, and also effect an accurate and as far
as possible uniform distribution of the load in the drum, whereby the operation of
treating loaf sugar in a centrifugal machine is rendered practicable and efficient.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of the said Inven-

page_text: tion, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried into effect, I
would observe in conclusion that what I consider to be novel and original, and
therefore claim as the Invention secured to me by the hereinbefore in part recited
Letters Patent is,―
First. The employment of the receptacles 6, 61, in the interior of the drum of a
centrifugal machine, the said receptacles being arranged substantially in the manner
and for the purpose hereinbefore described, and as illustrated in the accompanying
Drawings.
Second. The arrangement of the lever M, d, x, working on a horizontal axis L,
and vertical axis p, with the carrier 8, t, for the loaves suspended from the said lever;
the arrangement of the slotted bars u and pins for preventing the carrier from
swinging out of position; the arrangement of the two pairs of guides g and h for
directing the motion of the said lever, and the arrangement of the annular projections
or flanges i on the bottom of the drum, and the corresponding annular projections
or flanges k on the cylindrical support for the purpose of preventing the carrier
from becoming displaced, all substantially as hereinbefore described and illustrated
in the accompanying Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Henry Johnson, have to this my Speci-
fication set my hand and seal, the Twenty first day of May, One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
J. HENRY JOHNSON. (L.S.)