IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CURING SUGAR, OR EXTRACTING MOISTURE THEREFROM, APPLI- CABLE TO SEPARATING LIQUIDS FROM SOLIDS
Year: 1856

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Aspinall, of Limehouse, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CURING SUGAR, OR EXTRACTING MOISTURE THEREFROM, APPLI-
CABLE TO SEPARATING LIQUIDS FROM SOLIDS."
Sealed the 22nd August 1856, and dated the 3rd March 1856.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Aspinall at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 3rd
March 1856.
I, JOHN ASPINALL, of Limehouse, in the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer,
do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY FOR CURING SUGAR, OR EXTRACTING MOISTURE THEREFROM, APPLICABLE TO
SEPARATING LIQUIDS FROM SOLIDS," to be as follows:-
My Invention consists in certain new arrangements of centrifugal machinery,
and chiefly in the form of the vessel in which the liquid or moisture is extracted.
In the following description I will suppose the machine to be acting upon
sugar.
The machine is made self-feeding and self-delivering, that is, to deliver the
sugar after being cured and deprived of its moisture. Round a central shaft
I mount a stationary annular hopper, and from near the bottom of the hopper,

page_text: and fixed by arms to the shaft so as to revolve with it, is a conical guide or
distributor. The base of the cone is spread out at bottom and runs parallel
with the bottom of the vessel in which the curing is effected, but the edge of
the base of the cone does not touch the side of the vessel. The vessel itself
is conical, and is keyed or otherwise fixed to the central shaft, so as to revolve
with it. Instead, however, of the sides extending and widening as they rise in
an unbroken line, the sides consist of a series of gradations or steps, each
higher step in succession being of greater circumference than that immediately
below it. At the top of each step or gradation, I fit a horizontal guide or
plate, and the sugar as it rises on the vessel being made to revolve rapidly, is
forced between this plate and the horizontal part of the step, and so on in
succession, until the sugar rises to the top of the vessel, when the top guide
plate directs it out of the machine on to a circular platform, or otherwise.
The sides of the vessel are of perforated metal or gauze, as usual in centrifugal
machines, the horizontal part of the steps and guide plates are solid. A
liquoring apparatus may be made to 'act on the inside of the vessel if found
necessary.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of 'the conditions of the Letters Patent, 'filed
by the said John Aspinall in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 3rd
September 1856.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ASPINALL, of Limehouse, in 'the County of Middlesex, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Third day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-six, in the nineteenth year of Her reign, did,
for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said John
Aspinall, Her special licence that I, the said John Aspinall, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said John Aspinall, my
executors, administrators, and assigns should at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend, within
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and
Isle of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CURING
SUGAR, OR EXTRACTING MOISTURE THEREFROM, APPLICABLE TO SEPARATING LIQUIDS

page_text: FROM SOLIDS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Aspinall, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing under
my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe and
ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same was
to be performed, and cause the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent
Office within six calendar months next and immediately after the date of the
said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Aspinall, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed,
to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement
thereof, referenca being had to the Drawings hereunto annexed, that is to
say:
My Invention consists in certain new arrangements of centrifugal machinery
for curing and extracting moisture from sugar, and for separating liquids from
solids, and principally in the form of the vessel in which the liquid or moisture
is extracted.
of the vessel in which
the edge of the base of
The vessel in which the
My improved machinery is made self-feeding and also self-delivering, that is
to say, to deliver the sugar (or other substance operated upon), after it has
been "cured," or deprived of moisture, and it is constructed in the following
manner Through or in a line with the centre of a stationary annular
hopper a shaft passes, free to revolve on rotary motion being communicated
thereto; near the bottom of the hopper, and fixed by arms to the shaft, so as
to revolve with it, is a conical guide or distributor. The base of the cone is
spread out at bottom, and runs parallel with the bottom
the "curing" or extraction of moisture is effected, but
the cone does not meet or touch the side of the vessel.
curing or extraction of moisture is effected is fixed to the central shaft, so as
to revolve with it, and is itself conical; but instead of the sides of the vessel
extending and widening as they rise in an unbroken line, these sides consist of
gradations or steps, each higher step in succession being of greater diameter
than that immediately below it. At or near the top of each step or gradation
I fit a horizontal guide or plate, and on the vessel being made to revolve, the
sugar (or other substance under treatment) as it rises is forced between this
plate and the horizontal part of the step, and so on in succession, until the
sugar or other substance rises to the top of the vessel, when the topmost guide
plate directs it out of the machine on to a circular platform or other recipient.
The sides of the vessel are of perforated metal or gauze, as is usual in
centrifugal machines; the horizontal parts of the steps and guide plates are

page_text: solid. A liquoring apparatus may be made to act on the inside of the vessel,
if found necessary.
The manner in which my Invention may be carried into effect is exemplified
in the Drawings annexed. Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of a machine for
curing sugar, constructed according to my Invention. A is an upright shaft,
stepped in the casing of the apparatus (not shewn in the Drawing); D is the
vessel in which the curing of the sugar or extraction of moisture is effected;
this vessel is fixed on the shaft A, and is formed of wire gauze or perforated
metal stretched over ribs b, b, following the external configuration of the vessel,
and connected at top to a ring B, and at bottom to a disc or circular plate C,
shewn in plan in Figure 2, and in elevation in Figure 3. . The sides of the
vessel D are formed in steps or gradations D', D2, D3, D', each higher step
being of greater diameter than that immediately below it, as shewn in the
Figure. The steps are formed by flat rings b', '; E', E², E³, E, are circular
horizontal guide plates fitted within the curing vessel, resting on blocks or
plates on the top of each stop or gradation, and forming the vessel as it were
into compartments; F is an annular hopper fixed in the frame or casing of
the apparatus. This hopper may be allowed to rest on blocks on the top ring
of the casing, so as to be easily put in place and removed. The shaft A passes
up through an annular space in the centre of the hopper. The hopper leads
at bottom into a conical guide or distributor G, fixed by arms c, c, to the
shaft a, and revolving with it. The base of the cone is spread out at bottom
and forms a bell-mouth G', the base of which runs parallel with the
bottom of the vessel D, but the edge of the base G¹ does not touch the
side of the vessel D, a small space d being left between them. Rotary
motion having been communicated to the shaft A (by suitable gearing
actuated by a steam engine or otherwise), and thence to the vessel D, the
sugar falling from the hopper F drops through the conical distributor G
into the space d, and impelled by the centrifugal action exerted by the revo-
lution of the vessel D rises from step to step, being forced between the plate E'
and the part of the first step, then between the plate E and part of the
next step, and so on successively until it reaches the top of the machine, when
the top plate E' directs it out of the machine, and delivers it "cured" on to a
circular platform or other recipient. In order to facilitate the feeding of the
sugar to be cured into the vessel, I place the machine (when possible) below
the pan or heater, so that the sugar may be allowed to fall directly into the
hopper through a shoot or otherwise. Figure 4 is a sectional elevation of a
modification of the machine just described, in which the sides of the curing

page_text: vessel are formed into only two steps instead of four, as in Figure 1. In this
Figure I have also represented the casing of the vessel and arrangement of
platform for receiving the "cured" sugar, which may also be applied to the form
of curing vessel shewn in Figure 1.
A is a vertical shaft revolving in a
bearing a' in the bottom of a casing B (set on masonry), and stepped at a²
in a bracket a³ attached to the bottom of the casing. C is the gearing for
driving the shaft, actuated by a steam engine or otherwise. _D-is-the-curing
vessel, consisting, as-in-Figure 1, of wire gauze stretched over metal ribs b, b,
and connected to top and bottom rings D¹, D; the shaft A in this case does.
not pass up entirely through the vessel D, which is fixed to it at e, and revolves
with it. The sides of the vessel are formed in steps, having annular ribs or
rings f, f, extending round the vessel, the circumference of the higher step
being greater than that of the step below it. E¹, E³, are circular guide plates
fitted horizontally round the inside surface of the vessel D, near the top of
each step but not fixed to the machine, so that they are free to move to a
certain extent, as to be presently explained. F is a stationary hopper resting
at top on a ring f¹ attached to the top of the casing by arms. G is a conical
guide or distributor, fixed on and revolving with the shaft A, and formed with
a bell-mouth G¹, precisely as the distributor indicated by the same letters in
Figure 1. B is an external casing surrounding the upper part of the casing B,
intended to receive the sugar as it is driven from the curing vessel, and to
direct it on to a circular revolving table or platform H, which is mounted on
friction rollers g, g, centered on brackets h, h, fixed on the sides of the casing B.
Rotary motion is communicated to this table H, by a strap passing over a
pulley J, keyed fast to a shaft j, on which one of the friction rollers g is
mounted. The sugar, on emerging from the curing vessel, passes through the
outer casing B on to the revolving table H, from which it is removed or
delivered at one part only by a scraper K; k, k, are friction rollers mounted
on brackets, affixed to the side of the casing B, for keeping the table at a
proper distance from the casing, to prevent it from becoming locked or jammed.
On each ring f, forming the periphery of each step of the curing vessel, is
fixed a bracket l, on which is centred a bell crank m; one of the arms m¹ of
the bell-crank bears against a projection, stud, or rim n, formed on the upper
side of the plates E1, E2, while on the opposite arm m² of the bell-crank is
fixed a weight o. As the vessel rotates, the sugar falls from the hopper F,
through the guide G, to the bottom of the vessel D, and passes up impelled by
the centrifugal action of the machine until it lodges under the first guide
plate E', where it is retained by the weight o, and bell-crank m, until the

page_text: i
weight or pressure of sugar beneath the plate overcomes that of the weight o,
when the sugar will lift up the plate E', and pass up into the compartment
between it and the plate E³, where the same action takes place until the sugar
is delivered out of the machine on to the platform H. The sugar being thus
retained for a short time is more completely "cured" or deprived of its
moisture, than it would be if allowed to pass out of the machine without
encountering any impediment. In Figure 4, the lower plate E¹ is shewn as
closed or down, while the upper plate E2 is represented as lifted up or open
to allow the sugar to pass up..
In the Figures the vessels are represented with sides formed into two and
four steps, but I do not confine myself to either number, as vessels with sides -
formed of three or any other number of steps may be adopted.
Although in the preceding description I have alluded to sugar as being the
substance acted on by the apparatus, the improved machinery described in the
present Specification is equally applicable to extracting moisture from other
substances than sugar, and also for separating liquids from solids, the vessel
which in the foregoing description has been referred to as serving for the
curing of sugar being in these cases the vessel in which the separation of liquids
from solids or extraction of moisture is effected.
And having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same is to be performed, I declare that I claim,―
First, the curing of sugar, extracting moisture from substances, and
separating liquids from solids, by causing the substances, which are to be
operated upon, to enter at or near the bottom of a vessel, in the form of an
inverted cone, with regular or irregular sides or walls, and to be delivered
"cured" or freed from moisture at the mouth or top of the vessel.
Second, the improved construction of vessel for curing and extracting
moisture from sugar, and for separating liquids from solids, with its sides
arranged stepwise, or formed into gradations, each step being of greater
circumference than that immediately below it, all as herein-before described
with reference to the Drawings annexed.
Third, the particular configuration of curing or extracting vessels herein-
before described, and represented in Figures 1 and 3 of the Drawings
annexed.
Fourth, the construction and method of action of the circular plates or
guides for guiding, retaining, and delivering the sugar (or other material
acted on), all as herein-before described with reference to the Drawings
annexed.

page_text: And, lastly, the general construction, arrangement, combination of parts,
and method of action of the machinery for curing sugar, extracting moisture,
and separating liquids from solids, all as herein-before described and represented
in the Drawings annexed.
And, lastly, the general construction, arrangement, combination of parts,
and method of action of the machinery for curing sugar, extracting moisture,
and separating liquids from solids, all as herein-before described and represented
in the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Aspinall, have hereunto set my
hand and seal. this Second day of September. One thousand eight