Improvements in Cleaning Tin, Terne, or other Metal Plates, and Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Dec., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 20th Sept., 1889-Accepted, 2nd Nov., 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Cleaning Tin, Terne, or other Metal Plates, and
Apparatus therefor.
I, THOMAS SUMMERS, of High Orchard Iron Works, in the City of Gloucester,
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows :-
:-
This invention relates to improved means for removing from tin, terne and similar
metal plates the grease or other foreign matter with which such plates become coated
in the process of manufacture.
According to the practice hitherto usually employed, plates of the kind referred to
are cleaned by hand in bins containing bran or other absorbent agent, and are
afterwards wiped with wool or similar material, whereupon they are ready for the
market. My invention is designed to accomplish such a cleaning operation by
mechanical means and to permit of hand-labour at this stage of the manufacture being
almost entirely dispensed with.
A machine constructed according to the manner in which I prefer to carry out
this invention comprises two pairs of vertical revolving shafts, each shaft carrying a
given number of radial wings or vanes. Each pair of shafts is enclosed within a
suitable receptacle or casing, the two casings being arranged at a convenient distance
apart. The interior of each casing is, so far as may be, caused to follow the
circumferential path of the extremities of the wings or vanes; but this feature may, to
a certain extent, be departed from without prejudicially affecting the action of the
apparatus. A central slot is cut in each side of each casing for the ingress and egress
of the plate to be cleaned. Each casing is filled with a quantity of bran or equivalent
material which is agitated and caused to travel round by the vanes or wings carried
by the revolving shafts. The plate, from which the grease or other matter is to be
removed, after having been pushed through the first slot and between the first pair
of revolving shafts, is carried through the first casing by the attrition of the bran
contained therein, the latter acting simultaneously and with equal force on opposite
sides of the plate. Upon leaving the first casing the plate enters the second casing,
through which it continues to travel at the same speed or at a different rate of speed
under the influence of the attrition of the second body of cleaning material. To ensure
the plate travelling through the machine at the proper speed, suitable means may be
employed, such as three pairs of friction-rollers arranged respectively between and
outside the two casings; the plate being first gripped between the first pair, then, after
passing through the first casing, between the second pair, and finally, upon the plate
leaving the second cylinder, between the third pair. When friction-rollers are thus
employed, the plate may, if preferred, be caused to travel in the opposite direction to
that in which the particles of bran are caused to move; the cleaning action being
intensified thereby. Before finally leaving the machine, the plate may be passed
between a pair of revolving brushes in order that any dust or bran adhering thereto
may be removed.
Upon the lapse of a definite interval after the plates leave the hath of molten tin
and whilst they are at the proper heat, they are conveyed to the cleaning apparatus.
For this purpose, 1 employ a reciprocating carrier worked by a cam, crank or
eccentric mounted in the machine; the speed at which such reciprocating carrier is
operated being varied as required, by means of change-wheels or cone-pulleys,
according to the thickness of the plates for the time being under treatment, so that
thick plates may be exposed to the cooling action of the atmosphere for a longer period
than thin ones.
The speed at which the plates travel through the bran or other
cleaning material is constant and is not influenced by variations in the speed of the
carrier.
During the working of the apparatus, a certain amount of the bran or other

page_text: cleaning material is forced through the slots arranged in the casings for the egress
of the plates and falls to the bottom of the machine. Thence it is picked up by
elevators and returned to the particular casing.from which it was originally forced
out; an orifice being left, at the top. of each casing for the purpose.
Dated this 18th day of December. 1888.
G. G. M..HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.
DI BUITRATION.
Improvements in Cleaning Tin, Terne, or other Metal Plates, and
Apparatus therefor.
I, THOMAS SUMMERS, of High Orchard Iron Works, in the City of Gloucester,
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 improved means for removing from tin, terne and similar
metal, plates the grease or other foreign matter with which such plates become coated
in the process of manufacture.
According to the practice hitherto usually employed, plates of the kind referred
to are cleaned by hand in bins containing bran, or other absorbent agent-technically
known as "shudes "-and are afterwards wiped with wool or similar material, where-
upon they are ready for the market. My invention is designed to accomplish such
a cleaning operation by mechanical means, and to permit of hand-labour at this stage
of the manufacture being almost entirely dispensed with.
A machine constructed according to the manner in which I prefer to carry out
this invention is represented in side elevation in Fig. 1. of the accompanying drawings;
Fig. 2 being a plan, and Fig. 3 an end elevation. The machine comprises two pairs
of vertical revolving shafts a a, al a¹, each shaft carrying a number of radial wings
or vanes b. Each pair of shafts is enclosed within a suitable receptacle, casing or
cleaning chamber, cc; the two casings being arranged at a convenient distance
apart, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2. The interior of each casing is shaped to follow
the circumferential path of the extremities of the two sets of vanes b, as seen in
Fig. 4; but this form may, to a certain extent, be departed from without prejudicially
affecting the action of the apparatus. A central slot d cut in each side of each
casing for the ingress and egress of the plate to be cleaned. Each casing, c, c¹,
is filled with a quantity of bran or equivalent material which is agitated and caused
to travel round by the vanes 6 carried by the revolving shafts a, .a, a', a'. The
plate e from which the grease or other matter is to.be. removed, after having been
entered through the first slot and between the first pair of revolving shafts a a is
carried through the first casing c by the attrition of the shudes contained therein, the
latter acting simultaneously and with equal force on opposite sides of the plate.
After emerging from the first casing or cleaning chamber c.the, plate enters the second
casing c¹, through which it continues to travel. at the same speed, or at a different
rate of speed, under the influence of the attrition of the second body of cleaning
material. To ensure: the plate travelling through the machine at the proper speed,
suitable means may be employed, such as three pairs of friction-rollers arranged
respectively between and outside the two casings or .cleaning chambers,; the plate
being first gripped between the first pair of friction-rollers, then, after passing
through the first casing, between the second pair, and finally, upon the plate leaving
the second casing, between the third pair of rollers. When friction-rollers are thus
employed, either the direction in which the plate moves, or that in which the vanes
revolve may, if preferred, be reversed, so as to cause the plate to travel in the opposite
direction to that in which the particles of bran move, the cleaning .action being
intensified. I prefer, however, to utilise the attrition of the shudes upon the opposite
sides of the plate for the purpose of feeding the plate through the machine.

page_text: Before finally leaving the machine, the plate may be passed between a pair of
revolving brushes in order that any dust or bran adhering thereto may be
removed.
Upon the lapse of a definite interval after the plates leave the bath of molten tin
and whilst they are at the proper heat, they are conveyed to the cleaning apparatus,
and placed one at a time upon a reciprocating carrier, which may be formed of a bar f
having attached to it a grooved arm and a forked arm f which serve to hold the
plate in a vertical position. The carrier is operated by means of a bar g, mounted in
suitable guides and carrying a pin or roller g¹ which projects into the cam groove h¹,
formed in the under face of the disc h. The disc h is driven from one of the vertical
shafts a by means of spur gearing; and, for enabling the speed at which the carrier
is operated to be varied relatively to that at which the revolving vanes b are driven,
a train of change wheels jj is interposed, the intermediate wheels of the series being
mounted on a vertical shaft k carried by a bracket k¹, pivotted about the centre of
the shaft a and provided with a slotted quadrant whereby the radial position of the
bracket may be adjusted and secured by means of a set-screw. The position of the
shaft k in the bracket is also capable of variation, by sliding same along the slot k..
By these means, thick plates may be exposed to the cooling action of the atmosphere
for a longer period than thin ones; although the speed at which the plates travel
through the casings or cleaning chambers c, c¹ is constant, and is not affected by
variations in the speed at which the carrier is operated.
For conveying the plate from the casing c and causing the leading edge thereof
to enter the casing c', supplementary feed mechanism is employed; the same consisting
of a pair of gripping jaws f³ mounted upon the reciprocating bar f. These gripping
jaws are closed to grasp the opposite sides of the plate whilst the bar f advances,
and are open during their return movement. For this purpose, the jaws are hinged
together upon the bar fand are provided with tail-pieces between which a cam-shaped
body, mounted upon the rocking shaft l, works. The body of the grippers embraces
the cam-shaped piece in such a manner as to cause the latter to slide upon the shaft
to and fro with the grippers, this portion of the shaft being square, or furnished
with a feather, in order to oscillate the cam-shaped body and to close the grippers f³
at the proper moment. For rocking the shaft I, the edge of the disc is formed
with a prominence extending around a certain portion of its periphery, and against
this edge a lever m attached to a shaft m¹ bears. To the shaft m¹ is secured a
lever m³ connected by means of a link m³ to a lever m, which in turn-is keyed upon
the rocking shaft 1. The shaft m² is further provided with a weighted lever m³, which
serves to maintain the lever m in contact with the edge of the disc h.
During the working of the apparatus, a portion of the bran or other cleaning
material is forced through the slots d, provided in the casings c c¹ for the egress of
the plates, and falls by way of the chutes n n¹ to the bottom of the machine, whence
it is raised by means of elevators and returned to the top of the casing c or c¹ from
which it originally escaped. The elevators may consist of buckets attached to endless
chains passing round the pitch-drums o, o, o¹, o'; the cleaning material raised by the
buckets being led, by way of the chutes p p', to the top of the casings co' respectively.
The shudes may be fed to one compartment of the casing c or c, the other com-
partment of the casing being fed through the opening which exists between the two
compartments. The vertical shafts a a are driven from the main shaft g through
the spur wheels T, T, and the bevel gears s, 8, 8, s; the pinions whereof are so disposed
as to rotate the shafts a, a', and vanes 6 in opposite directions on opposite sides of
the centre line along which the plate e advances.
In order to guide the leading edge of the plate into and out of the vertical slots
formed in the sides of the casings c, c¹, as also to maintain the plate in a vertical
position whilst passing from the casing c to the casing c¹, two series of horizontal
wires tt, are extended from bars t', mounted on either side of the slot through which
the plates enter the casing c, to similar bars placed on either side of the slot through
which the plates emerge from the casing c. Each wire is attached to a screwed
eye whereby the tension of the wire may be adjusted. The slots d are also furnished

page_text: with adjustable doctors u u (Figure 4) whereby the effective width of the
slots d may be adjusted and the quantity of shudes permitted to escape with the plate
controlled.
Instead of the shafts a carrying the revolving blades being placed vertically, as
shewn in the present design, it will be obvious that their axes may be horizontal;
and that they may be arranged either in the same vertical plane or in the same
horizontal plane. In the former case, the plates would be laid horizontally and would
travel horizontally; in the latter case, they would be vertical and would travel in a
vertical direction.
Having thus particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion.and in what manner the same is to be performed, I claim :-
First The improved method of cleaning tin, terne or other metal, plates, by
passing the same between revolving masses of shudes, substantially as herein
described.
Secondly-The improved apparatus for cleaning tin, terne or other metal, plates,
constructed or operating substantially as herein described.
Thirdly-In a tin-plate-cleaning machine, the employment of a cleaning chamber,
such as c, charged with shudes and provided with slots on opposite sides through
which the plate passes, the mass of shudes on either side of the plate being rotated
by means of revolving vanes which are enveloped by the shudes.
Fourthly-in a tin-plate-cleaning machine in which the opposite sides of the
plate are simultaneously exposed to the action of revolving masses of shudes, utilising
the attrition of the shudes upon the surfaces of the plate for the purpose of feeding
the latter through the cleaning chamber.
Fifthly In a tin-plate-cleaning machine, the employment of two sets of cleaning
apparatus arranged at such a distance apart that the plate, after leaving the first
cleaning chamber, is exposed for a definite period to the cooling influence of the
atmosphere before entering the second cleaning chamber.
Dated this 20th day of Sentember 1889.
G. G. M. HARDINGHAM,
191, Fleet Street, London, E.C., Agent for the Applicant.