Improvements in Strainers or Knotters Used in the Manufacture of Paper and for other Purposes.
Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Mar., 1887
Complete Left, 19th Dec., 1887
Complete Accepted, 27th Jan., 1888
Improvements in Strainers or Knotters Used in the Manufacture of
Paper and for other Purposes.
1, JOSEPH THOMPSON, of River, near Dover, in the county of Kent, Engineer, do.
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
Hitherto the plates for strainers or knotters used in the manufacture of paper and
for other purposes have been made of one solid piece of metal, and the slits through
which the pulp passes, are cut in them of the required gauge for the particular class
of paper to be made, thus requiring different plates, with different gauges of slits for
different papers: necessitating a frequent changing of plates.
It is well known that after having heen in use for a certain time the slits of the
plates become choked or stopped by an accumulation of particles of pulp &c. getting
wedged in the slits, which choking gives rise to considerable trouble and labour to
remove, the application of acid being frequently required to burn out the fibre: or a
costly mechanical process being required for the purpose.
The object of this invention is to remove all these difficulties and to make one set
of plaets serve the purpose of several as at present used.
a
According to my invention I make the plates in two parts, each plate having
series of taper bars and taper spaces, the bars of the one part passing into the spaces
of the other part, and vice versa, so that when the two parts are fitted together, they
form as it were one plate with a flat surface, slits of any required gauge being left
between the bars.
My plates are so made that when fitted together and put in their working places
they become locked together in one direction and yet allow of motion in the direction
of the length of the bars and spaces, and thus allow the slits to be adjusted for finer or
coarser work as required.

page_text: In cleaning these plates from the accumulations of pulp &c. in the slits, all that is
required is to open these slits to their widest extent by means of a handle and suitable
mechanism connected therewith provided for the purpose, and to apply a plentiful
supply of water and the accumulations in the slits are speedily washed out.
By means of the handle and mechanism connected therewith, the plates can be
adjusted as required when the machine is at full work if so desired, so as to work
different grades of pulp without shutting the machine, and changing the plates as is
necessary with the plates at present in use.

page_text: Improvements in Strainers or Knotters Used in the Manufacture of
Paper and for other Purposes.
I, JOSEPH THOMPSON of River, near Dover, in the county of Kent, 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:-
My invention relates to improvements in strainers or knotters used in the
manufacture of paper, and for other purposes.
Hitherto the plates for strainers or knotters used in the manufacture of paper and
for other purposes have been made of one solid piece of metal, and the slits through
which the pulp passes are cut in them of the required gauge for the particular class of
paper to be made, thus requiring different plates, with different gauges of slits for
different papers: necessitating a frequent changing of plates.
It is well known that after having been in use for a certain time the slits of the
plates become choked or stopped by an accumulation of particles of pulp &c. getting
wedged in the slits, which choking gives rise to considerable trouble and labour to
remove, the application of acid being frequently required to burn out the fibre; or a
costly mechanical process being required for the purpose.
The object of this invention is to remove all these difficulties and to make one set of
plates serve the purpose of several as at present used.
a
According to my invention I make the plates in two parts, each plate having
series of taper bars and taper spaces, the bars of the one part passing into the spaces
of the other part and vice versa, so that when the two parts are fitted together, they
form, as it were, one plate with a flat surface, slits of any required gauge being left
between the bars.
My plates are so made that when fitted together and put in their working places
they become locked together in one direction and yet allow of motion in the direction
of the length of the bars and spaces and thus allow the slits to be adjusted for finer or
coarser work as required.
In cleaning these plates from the accumulations of pulp &c. in the slits, all that is
required is to open these slits to their widest extent by means of a handle and suitable
mechanism connected therewith provided for the purpose, and to apply a plentiful
supply of water and the accumulations in the slits are speedily washed out.
By means of the handle and mechanisin connected therewith, the plates can be
adjusted as required when the machine is at full work if so desired, so as to work
different grades of pulp without shutting the machine, and changing the plates as is
necessary with the plates at present in use.
In order that my said invention may be understood I will proceed to describe the
same with reference to the accompanying drawing in which
Figure 1 is a plan of a knotter or strainer constructed according to my invention,
some of the bars of one part of the plate being removed to show the spaces between
the bars of the other part.

page_text: Figure 2 is a longitudinal section of the same on the line x, x and
Figure 3 is a transverse section thereof.
Figures 4 and 5 arc views of a detail hereinafter described.
a₁ b indicate the upper and lower parts of the plate respectively, the part a having
the alternate bars and spaces a¹, a² and the part 6 the alternate bars and spaces b¹, b²,
the said bars and spaces being of such shapes that the bars a¹ of one part fit into the
spaces 2, of the other part and vice versa as hereinbefore stated.
In practice several series of bars a¹ and will usually be employed, the bars a¹
being connected to or formed integral with the bridge pieces a³ and the bars b' being
connected to or formed integral with the bearing pieces b³.
With a plate constructed in two parts as hereinbefore described it will be understood
that when the said parts are moved relatively one to the other, for instance if the
part a is moved in the direction of the arrow Figure 1 the distance between the
bars a will be reduced, and vice versa if it is moved in the opposite direction.
Any suitable means may be employed for effecting the movement of the two parts
relatively to each other, for instance a screw connected to the end of one part so as to
rotate therein and engaging with a nut on the other part.
b from
c, c figures 4 and 5, are keys which are employed to prevent the two parts a,
moving relatively to each other except in a longitudinal direction. These keys are
inserted in the spaces d formed between the hars a' of one part and are adapted to
slide in the corresponding shaped slots e in the bearing pieces 63 of the other part.
In order to secure the keys c c in position they are provided with shanks c¹ which are
inserted into holes in the bridge pieces a' as indicated in Figures 1 and 2, and rivetted
therein or they may be secured by any other suitable means.
I wish it understood that I do not limit myself to the use of strainers, the bars or
solid portions of which are of tapering shape, as it is obvious that the bars and the
openings between the same may be made of any other convenient shape provided the
movement of the two parts relatively to each other increases or diminishes the distance
between the solid portions of the two parts of the strainer. Also in some cases I may
arrange one part of the plate to be moved in a vertical direction relatively to the
other for the described purpose.
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. A strainer or knotter for use in the manufacture of paper and for other purposes,
comprising two parts each of which has a series of openings adapted to receive solid
portions of the other, the said openings and solid portions being arranged in such a
manner that when one of the said plates is moved relatively to the other the spaces
between the adjacent solid portions of the two parts will be correspondingly increased
or diminished, for the purposes specified.
2. A strainer or knotter formed in two parts each of which is provided with one or
inore series of alternate bars and spaces of tapering shape, so that when one of the
said parts is moved relatively to the other the spaces between the adjacent bars of
the two parts will be varied, substantially as described.
3. The manufacture and use of the improved strainer or knotter, constructed
substantially as described with reference to the accompanying drawing.
1
10th of Deanshan 1007
G. F. REDFERN & Co.,
4, South Street, Finsbury, London,
Agents for the Applicant.