An Improved Machine for Scrubbing the Inside of Casks, Barrels, and other similar Vessels.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 25th July, 1889
Complete Specification Left, 24th Apr., 1890-Accepted, 12th July, 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Machine for Scrubbing the Inside of Casks, Barrels,
and other similar Vessels.
WO, JOHN WALTER FLOWER, Brewer AUGUSTUS FREDERICK FLOWER, Brewer
and ROBERT JOHN COUSINS Engineer all of Fontmell Magna Shaftesbury in the
County of Dorset do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:
Our invention relates to an improved machine for scrubbing the inside of casks,
barrels and other similar vessels, and consists of a hollow shaft mounted upon two
standard bearings and connected at its outer extremity through a stuffing box and a
pipe destined to supply the liquid required to clean the barrel or cask and furnished
with a tap.
The inner extremity of the shaft is provided with a nozzle and two extensible wire
brushes of peculiar construction for the purpose in view.
These brushes are rounded at the edges and furnished with wire bristle to scrub the
inner periphery of the cask or barrel. They can be folded together forward so as to be
capable of entering the bung hole formed in the face of the barrel. Between the
standards the shaft is provided with two collars between which is mounted one end
of a clutch lever whose other end is connected to the drum of a borizontal travelling
chain. As the nozzle of the shaft buts against the rear or front end of the cask or
barrel the front or back collar pushes the clutch lever to one side and reverses the
motion of the travelling chain which is actuated in a well known manner by
means of a vertical driving chain passing around a small pulley mounted on the
shaft.
The cask or barrel is placed on a carriage connected by suitable gearing with
the travelling chain and is actuated thereby. To the front and back of this carriage
are fixed two toothed sectors gearing together and carrying each one arm, the two
arms crossing one another and receiving between them the cask or barrel to be
cleaned. The said arms can be more or less opened or closed by means of a hand
wheel and rod fixed to one of the sectors, so that the barrel or cask may be raised or
lowered until the before mentioned bung hole comes exactly opposite the front end
of the brushes. A lateral motion can likewise be imparted to the cask or barrel
for a similar purpose by another hand wheel fixed to the carriage which is furnished
with tram wheels, and roll on a rail track within which moves the travelling chain
above mentioned.
A pulley is keyed on the shaft and connected by a belt to any suitable source of
Dower.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
An Improved Machine for Scrubbing the Inside of Casks, Barrels,
and other similar Vessels.
We JOHN WALTER FLOWER, Brewer, AUGUSTUS FREDERICK FLOWER, Brewer
and ROBERT JOHN COUSINS Engineer all of Fontmell Magna Shaftesbury in the
County of Dorset 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 :-
Our invention relates to an improved machine for scrubbing the inside of casks
barrels and other similar vessels and consists of a hollow shaft mounted upon two

page_text: standard bearings and connected at its outer extremity through a stuffing box with a
pipe destined to supply the liquid required to clean the barrel or cask and furnished
with a tap. The inner extremity of the shaft is provided with a nozzle and two
extensible wire brushes of peculiar construction for the purpose in view...
These
brushes are rounded at the edges and furnished with wire bristles to scrub the inner
periphery of the cask or barrel. They can be folded together forward-so as to
enter the bung hole formed in the face of the barrel. Between the standards the
shaft is provided with two collars between which is mounted one end of a clutch lever
whose other end is connected to the drum of a horizontal travelling chain. As the
nozzle of the shaft abuts against the rear or front end of the cask or barrel the front
or back collar pushes the clutch lever to one side and reverses the motion of the
travelling chain which is actuated in a well known manner by means of a vertical
driving chain passing around a small pulley mounted on the shaft. The cask or
barrel is placed on a carriage connected by suitable gearing with the travelling chain
and is actuated thereby. To the front of this carriage or truck are fixed two
toothed sectors gearing together and carrying each one arm, these two arms crossing
one another and receiving between them the cask or barrel to be cleaned.
said arms can be more or less opened or closed by means of a hand wheel and rod
fixed to one of the sectors so that the barrel or cask may be raised or lowered until
the before mentioned bung hole comes exactly opposite the front end of the
brushes. A lateral motion can likewise be imparted to the cask or barrel for
a similar purpose by another hand wheel fixed to the carriage which is further
furnished with tram wheels and roll on a rail track, within which moves the travelling
chain above mentioned.
The
A driving pulley is keyed on the shaft and connected by a belt to any svitable
motor pulley.
And in order that our invention may be more fully understood we have shewn the
same in the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a front elevation, Figs. 2
and 3 opposite end views and Fig. 4 a sectional elevation of my improved cask
scrubbing or scouring machine. Figs. 5 and 6 are details of the carriage and of the
driving mechanism.
My invention consists of a hollow shaft S provided at one end with a nozzle n and
terminating at the other with a thin part enclosed in a stuffing box b A top t is
connected at one end to this box band at the other a supply pipe Q through which
the liquid required for cleaning the barrel is conveyed thereto along the hollow
shaft S. The latter is carried on suitable bearings upon two circular standards or
uprights ss' bolted to a bed plate F carrying likewise the two supports j,j, upon which
the cross bar of which the clutch lever oscillates centrally. This lever is fixed at
its upper end to the shaft S by means of a pin such end being placed between two
collars cc mounted on the shaft which is capable of moving in a longitudinal
direction.
This lever pivots centrally as already stated upon the cross bar of the
supports j, j, its lower forked end holding a pin or screw secured to a coupling
sleeve i capable of sliding to and fro upon a small shaft o mounted upon suitable
bearings inside the bed plate F. This coupling sleeve i can thus be connected with
either sleeve of the two bevel wheels W, W, for the purpose of placing either of
these two wheels in gear with the large bevel wheel W and thus reversing the motion
of the driving chain D passing around the drum d mounted upon the shaft of the
wheel W at one end and upon the drum at the other.
The shaft S carries likewise a fast and a loose pulley P and P¹ by means of the first
of which motion is imparted to the said shaft by a belt a connected to any suitable
motor pulley.
Upon a sprocket wheel keyed upon the shaft S close to the standard s¹ and upon
its corresponding wheel mounted upon the shaft o passes a vertical chain v
communicating a motion to the bevil wheels W, W. Upon the nozzle end of the
shaft S are fixed the two collapsible and extensible brushes w and w provided
preferably with wire bristles and pivotting upon the pins which secure them to the

page_text: nozzle n. These brushes are formed of two rods y, y', carrying the bristle designed
to scrub or scour each end of the barrel B while joined at the ends of these wires or
rods are links likewise provided with wire or other bristle designed to scrub or scour
the inner periphery of the barrel B.
The said barrel B is carried upon the two crossed arms e, e¹, (Fig. 3) of two
teethed sectors f,, meshing together and mounted upon suitable axes arranged on
the carriage or truck C. A rod m passes at its upper end through a bearing pivotted
upon the front end of the carriage or truck C while its lower extremity moves through
a nut pivotted upon the sector f¹. The said rod m carries a hand wheel g by means
of which the sector 1, and with it the sector can be moved up and down and the
barrel B can be correspondingly raised or lowered by the arms e and e according as
required for the purpose of adjusting the said barrel so as to bring its bung hole /
directly opposite the front end of the brushes w, w', collapsed with a view of inserting
them in the said barrel. For a similar purpose a lateral motion can be imparted to
the barrel B by turning a hand wheel w mounted upon a screw threaded rod passing
through a nut a rigidly fixed by the arms ßß to the two axles of the carriage
which is capable of sliding upon the said axles.
A bolt carried by a frame fixed to the rear end of the carriage C serves to
connect the same to the driving chain D. M is a stop at the end of the rail track
for preventing the carriage leaving the said track which is composed of two rails r
and fixed on the ground in any suitable manner and connected together at one
end by a cross bar.
The machine operates as follows:-
The barrel having been placed upon the arms e, e¹, of the carriage C which is drawn
far enough back to allow of the collapsed brushes w, wl, facing the front end of the
barrel B, the latter is adjusted in the manner above described both in height and
laterally by the hand wheels g and respectively until its bung hole h comes exactly
opposite the end of the collapsed brushes w, w¹, which are inserted therein by the
attendant. The belt a having been now pushed upon the fast pulley P₁ the shaft S
and with it the brushes w, w¹, is rotated while at the same time the shaft o, to which
a motion is imparted by the vertical chain v, rotates and turns the bevil wheel W by
means of either of the wheels W, W2, which may be in gear therewith (the wheel W
for instance) whereby the drum dis rotated and the chain commences to travel
carrying with it by means of the bolt the carriage C and the barrel B placed there-
upon. The brushes w, w¹, now extended scrub during this travel of the carriage the
inner periphery of the barrel B until they reach the further end thereof against which
they strike thus shifting the shaft S longitudinally. This motion has for its object
to cause the collar c to displace the end of the clutch lever which pivots centrally
on the bar whereby its lower end moves the coupling sleeve i from the wheel W to
the wheel W and the motion is reversed, the carriage travelling now forward until
the brushes strike against the rear end of the barrel and thereby reverse the motion.
back to its former direction.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what
I claim is
1. The improved machine for scrubbing or scouring the inside of casks, barrels
or other similar vessels arranged constructed and operating substantially as and for
the purpose described and shown in the drawings.
2. The manner of adjusting the cask or barrel both in a vertical and. transverse
direction by means of the arins e, e¹, toothed sectors f,f', and screw rod m actuated by
the hand wheel and of the hand wheel u operating a screw rod through a nut
fixed by the arms Bẞ to the wheel axles of the carriage which is capable of sliding
transversely upon these axles substantially as and for the purpose described.
3. In an improved machine for scrubbing or scouring the inside of casks or barrels
or other similar vessels, a scrubbing brush composed of two rods furnished with wire

page_text: or other bristles for scrubbing the ends of casks or barrels and pivotted upon the
nozzle of the main shaft of the machine so as to be easily collapsed or extended,
these rods being connected at their ends with jointed links likewise furnished with
wire or other bristle for the purpose of scouring the inner periphery of the said casks
or barrels substantially as and for the purpose described.
Dated this 24th day of April 1890.
"HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, Agents.