AN IMPROVED CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE FOR DRYING HIDES AND SKINS, SPENT TAN AND OTHER MATTERS
Year: 1884

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for "AN IMPROVED
CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE FOR DRYING HIDES AND SKINS, SPENT TAN AND OTHER
MATTERS a communication to me from abroad by Emile de Solminihac of Hénant
(Finistère) France to be as follows:-
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This Invention relates to a centrifugal machine for rapidly drying hides, skins,
spent tan & but more especially hides and skins as they come from the tan pits.
The machine consists of a revolving skeleton drum formed of bars placed at a
little distance apart, upon the outside of which are spread the hides or skins, or
inside of which is placed the spent tan to be desiccated.
It is lined internally with fine galvanised iron wirework to prevent the escape of
the tan
In order that the Invention may be more readily understood I will proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawing forming part of this
Specification, which illustrates one example of the machine figure 1 being a longi-
tudinal elevation of the machine complete, and figure 2 a cross section of the drum.
The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the two figures.
Upon a shaft A which may be either vertical, or horizontal, are keyed three cast
iron or other discs B at suitable distances apart. They are of equal diameter and
around their periphery are secured laths a of wood or other material not liable to
injure the hides. These laths form the circumference of the drum and are suitably
spaced to admit of air circulating through them. The bars are fixed to the discs B
by means of bolts whose rounded heads bear on the one side against copper
hoops, b and on the other against the flanges of discs B. The hoops 6 serve to
prevent contact of the hides with the iron discs B. The shaft A is provided with
speed pulleys c, c, c and is mounted in bearings C C supported by cast iron or
other standards or upon a solid foundation of masonry. D is a trough for receiving
the water extracted by centrifugal force from the spent tan or other matters placed
in the drum, and serving also to receive the matters after drying.

page_text: The bars a serve as a support for an internal network of galvanised iron which
prevents the escape of the materials placed in the drum when subjected to the
action of centrifugal force for the purpose of extracting the water therefrom.
Access is had to the interior of the drum for introducing and removing the tan
or other materials to be desiccated by means of doors D₁ formed by cutting out
a segment of the circumference of the drum, supporting the pieces of the bars cut
out by cross strips, and hinging the whole so as to swing outwards, as shown in
dotted lines in Figure 2, and when closed form a part of the skeleton drum as
shown in Figures 1 and 2. The hides or skins are stretched upon the outside
of the drum by means of wood or copper clips & attached to the bars by cords in
such manner that the greater the centrifugal force the firmer will the clips grip
the hide.
The machine is driven at a very high speed so that the hide is brought con-
stantly in contact with a body of cold air and the last traces of moisture are
driven off, even that in the form of vapor. The machine requires only to be
placed in a shed or other enclosed space and its speed may be varied according to
the thickness of the hides and the amount of moisture contained.
By means of this machine the hides may be brought to a commercially dry
condition in an hour. The sweeping and brushing of the hides is dispensed with
as the adhering tan falls off as the drying proceeds so that the hides are cleaned as
well as dried. The mouldiness so frequent at present which injures the appearance
of the grain and deteriorates the quality of the hide, is entirely prevented owing to
the rapidity with which the whole-contents-of-a-pit-may be desiccated._

page_text: I, ALEXANDER MELVILLE CLARK, of the firm of A. M. and Wm. Clark, of
53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Fellow of the Institute of Patent
Agents, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for AN IMPROVED
CENTRIFUGAL MACHINE FOR DRYING HIDES AND SKINS, SPENT TAN AND OTHER
MATTERS, (a communication to mo from abroad by Emile de Solminihac, of Hénant,
(Finistère) France,) and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be par-
ticularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This Invention relates to a centrifugal machine for rapidly drying hides, skins,
spent tan &c, but more especially hides and skins as they come from the tan pits.
The machine consists of a revolving skeleton drum formed of bars placed at a
little distance apart, upon the outside of which are spread the hides or skins, or
inside of which is placed the spent tan to be desiccated.
It is lined internally with fine galvanised iron wirework to prevent the escape
of the tan.
In order that the Invention may be more readily understood I will proceed to
describe the same with reference to the accompanying drawing forming part of
this Specification, which illustrates one example of the machine figure 1 being a
longitudinal elevation of the machine complete, and figure 2 a cross section of the
drum. The same letters of reference indicate the same parts in the two figures.
Upon a shaft A which may be either vertical, or horizontal are keyed three cast
iron or other discs B at suitable distances apart. They are of equal diameter and
around their periphery are secured laths a of wood or other material not liable to
injure the hides. These laths form the circumference of the drum and are suitably
spaced to admit of air circulating through them. The bars are fixed to the discs B
by means of bolts whose rounded heads bear on the one side against copper hoops, b
and on the other against the flanges of discs B. The hoops bserve to prevent
contact of the hides with the iron discs B. The shaft A is provided with speed
pulleys c, c, c and is mounted in bearings CC supported by cast iron or other
standards or upon a solid foundation of masonry. D is a trough for receiving the
water extracted by centrifugal force from the spent tan or other matters placed in
the drum, and serving also to receive the matters after drying.
The bars a serve as a support for an internal network of galvanised iron which
prevents the escape of the materials placed in the drum when subjected to the
action of centrifugal force for the purpose of extracting the water therefrom.
Access is had to the interior of the drum for introducing and removing the tan or
other materials to be desiccated by means of doors D formned by cutting out a
segment of the circumference of the drum, supporting the pieces of the bars cut
out by cross strips, and hinging the whole so as to swing outwards, as shown in
dotted lines in Figure 2, and when closed form a part of the skeleton drum as
shown in Figures 1 and 2. The hides or skins are stretched upon the outside of
the drum by means of wood or copper clips & attached to the bars by cords in
such manner that the greater the centrifugal force the firmer will the clips grip
the hide.
The machine is driven at a very high speed so that the hide is brought con-
stantly in contact with a body of cold air and the last traces of moisture are
driven off, even that in the form of vapor. The machine requires only to be placed
in n shed or other enclosed space and its speed may be varied according to the
thickness of the hides and the amount of moisture contained.

page_text: By means of this machine the hides may be brought to a commercially dry
condition in an hour. The sweeping and brushing of the hides is dispensed with
as the adhering tan falls off as the drying proceeds so that the hides are cleaned
as well as dried. The mouldiness so frequent at present which injures the appear-
ance of the grain and deteriorates the quality of the hide, is entirely prevented
owing to the rapidity with which the whole contents of a pit may be desiccated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
Invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is :-
The improved centrifugal machine for drying hides, skins, spent tan and other
materials consisting essentially of a horizontal or vertical skeleton drum formed
of bars and provided with clips or means of stretching the hides or skins upon
the circumference thereof, substantially as shown and described.