IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH MACHINERY USED IN MANUFACTURING COM- PRESSED FUEL
Year: 1863

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Grantham, of 31, Nicholas Lane, in the City
of. London, Civil Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN
APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH MACHINERY USED IN MANUFACTURING COM-
PRESSED FUEL."
Sealed the 18th September 1863, and dated the 27th March 1863.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Grantham at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the 27th
March 1868.
I, JOHN GRANTHAM, of 81, Nicholas Lane, in the City of London, Civil
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH MACHINERY USED IN MANUFACTURING COM-
PRESSED FUEL," to be as follows:-
My Invention refers to machines with turntables or mould frames, upon
which are affixed a certain number of moulds, and around which three opera.
tions are carried on nearly simultaneously, namely, firstly, filling the mould
with the small coal or other material; secondly, subjecting the said material
to the action of a hydraulic press for the purpose of solidifying or compressing
it; and, thirdly, subjecting it to the action of another press for the purpose of
discharging the block of fuel from the mould. The moulds are presented seriatim
to these operations, and hitherto the turntable has been moved by means of
manual labour, which I now propose to effect by the use of bydraulic machinery.

page_text: For this purpose I have a pulley, grooved or plain, set concentric or otherwise
with the turntable, and I fit the same with levers, ratchets, and catches, so that if
the pulley be turned in one direction the turntable will move with it, but if
reversed, the turntable will remain stationary. Upon this pulley I place a
chain or belt, and each end of the chain is attached to a separato bydraulic
ram; these rams are of unequal size, the smaller one is always under the
influence of the water pressure, and the larger one is sufficiently powerful that
when in operation it will draw the chain and so move the pulley and turn-
table, and at the same time draw out the smaller ram even against the water
pressure; when the valve is shut off from the larger ram, the smaller ram
exerts its force and reverses the pulley ready for the next operation.
Upon the edge or periphery of the turntable frame I have a flange, in which
are three or more indentations, according to the number of operations for each
revolution, and I have a lever bent so that one end fits into the indentation,
and I arrange a weight or spring at the other end to force it against the indent.
The valve of the larger ram referred to is set in action by an ordinary lever,
which I connect to the bent lever by means of rods or other suitable con-
trivance, so that when the valve lever is raised it will draw out the bent lever
from the indent, and also set on the valve, by which the turntable is moved
the distance required to the next indent, into which the lever falls, at the same
time closing the valve and holding firmly the turntable, whilst the filling, pres-
sing, and delivering of the moulds is being proceeded with.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Grantham in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
24th September 1863.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
GRANTHAM, of 31, Nicholas Lane, in the City of London, Civil Engineer, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of March, in the year of our's
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, in the twenty-sixth year
of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto
me, the said John Grantham, Her special licence that I, the said John
Grantham, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said John Grantham, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at
any time agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times

page_text: 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 APPARATUS CONNECTED WITH MACHINERY USED IN MANU-
PACTURING COMPRESSED FUEL," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the
said John Grantham, 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 Grantham, 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: -
"
My Invention refers to machines with turntables or mould frames, upon
which are affixed a certain number of moulds, and around which three opera-
tions are carried on nearly simultaneously, namely, firstly, filling the mould
with the small coal or other material; secondly, subjecting the said material to
the action of a hydraulic press for the porpose of solidifying or compressing.it;
and, thirdly, subjecting it to the action of another press for the purpose of dis-
charging the block of fuel from the mould. The moulds are presented seriatim
to these operations, and hitherto the turntable has been moved by means of
manual labour, which I now propose to effect by the use of hydraulic machinery.
For this purpose I have a pulley, grooved or plain, set concentric or other-
wise with the turntable, and I fit the same with levers, ratchetts, and catches,
so that if the pulley be turned in one direction the turntable will move with
it, but if roversed, the turntable will remain stationary. Upon this pulley
I place a chain or belt, and each end of the chain is attached to a separate
hydraulic ram; these rams are of unequal size, the smaller one is always under
the influence of the water pressure, and the larger one is sufficiently powerful
that when in operation it will draw the chain and so move the pulley and
turntable, and at the same time draw out the smaller ram even against tho
water pressure; when the valve is shut off from the larger ram the smaller
ram exerts its force and reverses the pulley ready for the next operation.
Upon the edge or periphery of the turntable frame I have a flange, in which
are three or more indentations, according to the number of operations for each
revolution, and I have a lever bent so that one end fits into the indentation,
and I arrange a weight or spring at the other end to force it against tho

page_text: indent. The valve of the larger ram referred to is set in action by an ordinary
lever, which I connect to the bent lever by means of rods or other suitable
contrivance, so that when the valve lever is raised it will draw out the bent
lever from the indent, and also "set-on" the valve, by which the turntable is
moved the distance required to the next indent, into which the lever falls, at
the same time closing the valve and holding firmly the turntable, whilst tho
filling, pressing, and delivering of the moulds is being proceeded with.
And in order that my said Invention may be clearly understood, I have
attached hereto the accompanying Sheet of Drawings, in which similar
letters of reference in different Figures refer to corresponding parts of the
apparatus.
Fig. 1 is a plan, and Figures 2, 3, and 4 are sectional elevations of the different
parts. The circular frame in Fig. 1 is the turntable. A, B, C, are the mould
boxes fixed in the turntable; over the box B is a hydraulic press to force
downwards and compress the small coal or other material, and under the box
C is a hydraulic press to force upwards and liberate the compressed block;
D is the pulley before mentioned set within the turntable, and E is a lever
connected with the said pulley; F is a tongue or catch; G, G', G", are ratchett
points; H, H³, is a chain, one end of which is attached to the hydraulic ram I,
and the other end to the smaller ram J; K and L are the supply pipes to these
rams, as may be more clearly seen by reference to Fig. 2, which is an elevation
facing the line a', a', in Fig. 1, the pipe K being always in free communication
with the accumulator or force pump, and a branch from this pipe a M is
carried to the stop valves N, O, from which the water is communicated to and
from the ram I; M' is the waste water pipo; P is a hand lever to work the
valves, of which Fig. 3 is a side elevation. At Qis the fulcrum and cams or
lever arms for raising the valves. At the point R of the lever is attached the
rod S, which is connected with the bent lever T, of which U is the fulcrum
Fig. 1. V,V,V, are indents upon the periphery of the turntable. The bent end
of the lever T fits into the indents, and a force is applied in the direction of
the arrow W to keep it in that position by means of the chain or rope, shown
by the dotted line X, which runs over a guide pulley, and to which a weight
is attached suspended in the well Y. Fig. 4 is a section, on the line c', b',
Fig. 1, of the ram I, and of a portion of the turntable at Z, also of the
chain H, and the pulley D.
The operations are as follows:-The small coal or other material is filled in
the mould at A; the turntable is then moved so as to carry with it the mould
from A to the position of B. To effect this movement the attendant moves the
band lever P, so as to pull the rod S and the chain X with its weight in the

page_text: well Y, and at the same time draw out the bent end of the lever T from the
indent V, also at the same time closing the escape valve O and opening the
valvo N; the ram I draws the chain H, H, by which the pulley D and lever
and catch E, F, impinge upon the ratchett point G, and thus move the turn-
table the required distance, at the same time drawing out the ram J from its
cylinder. During this operation (the lever P being let go) the bent end of
the lever T rides on the edge or periphery of the turntable, being forced thereto
by the weight on the chain X, until the next indent V is presented, and the
bent end immediately falls in, arresting the further movement of the turntable,
and at the same time the rod S is drawn onwards, moving the lever P to the
position shown in Fig. 8, and thus closing the pressure valve N and opening
the escape valve O. The lever and catch E, F, Fig. 1, have been moved from
G to G, and the water pressure on the ram J now exerts its force by drawing
the chain H, H, thus drawing out the ram I, and bringing the pulley D, and
the lever and catch E, F, back to the position shown in the Drawing, Fig. 1,
and thus the mould at C is brought to the position of A, to be filled in its turn,
whilst the material which was at A is being pressed under B; the operation is
repeated until the pressed material at B is moved to C, and the block forced
from the mould; and thus the operations of filling, pressing, and discharging
are carried on nearly simultaneously.
Having thus particularly described the nature of my said Invention, and the
manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that I do
not confine myself to the exact details herein set forth, as such may be varied
without departing from the principle of my Invention, but I claim the employ-
ment of the hydraulic apparatus, and the arrangement of valves, pipes, levers,
and catches, herein set forth, described, and illustrated with the accompanying
Sheet of Drawings, for the purpose of moving the turntables or mould frames
used in manufacturing compressed fuel.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Grantham, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of September, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-three.
Witness,
HENRY FLETCHER.
JOHN GRANTHAM. (L.B.)