Improvements in Disintegrating Machines.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Mar., 1890-Accepted, 10th May, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Disintegrating Machines.
I, JOHN ENNIS SEARLES Junior, of 810 St. Marks Avenue, Brooklyn, State of New
York, United States of America, Gentleman do hereby declare the nature of this
invention and in what manner the saine is to be performed to be particularly described
and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
These improvements relate to the class of disintegrating machines in which the
shredding operation is performed by a system of so-called "drunken saws" consisting
of a series of circular saws mounted upon a common shaft in planes which are
parallel with each other, but which diagonally intersect the shaft upon which they
are mounted.
The invention embraces certain feeding, guiding and stripping devices and the
combination of said devices, respectively, with a system of drunken saws in a machine
for disintegrating sugar cane and other woody or vegetable material.
The accompanying drawings of a machine containing the invention are as
follows:
Figure 1 is a top view partly in section.
Figure 2 is a rear elevation.
Figure 3 is an end elevation.
Figure 4 is a front elevation of the rotating feeder, showing its strippers and some of
the adjacent portions of the machine.
Figures 5 and 6 are, respectively, an elevation and a top view of the guiding blades
for attachment to the feed table.
Figures 7 and 8 are, respectively, a view of the edge and of the face of one of the
stripping plates for the rotating feeder.
Figures 9 and 10 are, respectively, a side elevation and a top view of one of the
laterally vibrating supporting fingers.
Figure 11 is a transverse vertical section of the machine taken through the plane
indicated by the dotted line x x on Figure 1.
Figure 12 is a top view of the drunken saws, illustrating a modification of the
supporting and stripping fingers, which consists in making them in one piece with or
rigidly affixing them to an endwise movable bar.
Figure 13 is a transverse vertical section of the machine similar to Figure 11, but
illustrating the use of a curved stripper for the drunken saws.
Figure 14 is an isometrical perspective of the vibrating and rocking curved stripper
shown in Figure 13.
Figures 15 and 16 are elevations illustrative of the different positions which the
curved strippers take in obedience to the wabbling action of the adjoining saws
between which they are respectively placed.
The machine represented in the drawings embraces a saw shaft A provided with
suitable bearings a a iu the frame B and with a driving pulley A' for the reception
of the belt by which the saw shaft is rotated. The saw shaft A carries a system of
drunken saws which, as heretofore ordinarily constructed, is composed of a series of
circular saws C equi-distantly mounted upon the saw shaft in planes which are
parallel to each other but which diagonally intersect the shaft. The saws are
separated from each other by means of interposed washers or discs, and are clamped
together between collars affixed to the shaft in the usual manner.
The sugar cane or other material to be disintegrated, which is hereinafter simply
called the " cane," is deposited upon the delivery belt D by which it is carried to
and delivered upon the table D' in position to be caught by the rotating feeder E
and fed forward forcibly against the saws. The rotating feeder which it is preferred
to employ, in itself constitutes one part of the present invention. It is composed
ID: 1127

page_text: of a series of star pointed wheels made of sheet metal, which are loosely mounted
and keyed upon the horizontal shaft E' provided with bearings E2 in the frame of the
machine, and rotated by means of the sprocket wheel E3 to which the sprocket
chain E is applied. One of the said star pointed wheels e is shown in detail in
Figure 11. It has a hole through it and an inwardly projecting tongue el which, when
the star wheel is slid on the shaft E' projects into the groove e formed longitudinally
in the surface of the shaft E. The tongue e¹ is loosely contained within the said
groove and thus permits the star wheel to slide longitudinally upon the shaft E'
but serves as a key, which compels the star wheel e to partake of the rotatory motion
of the shaft E. The star wheels are kept equi-distantly separated from each other by
means of the system F of stripping plates which are rigidly secured to the
horizontal girder F1 bolted at its opposite ends, to the frame of the machine.
The stripping plates extend downward from the girder F into the spaces between
the star wheels, respectively, and partially embrace the shaft E¹. Each of them is
preferably provided at its lower end with the downwardly projecting bladef having
its sharp under edge downwardly inclined toward the saws, as shown in detail in
Figures 7 and 8.
The top of the table D' is preferably in the plane of the axis of the saw shaft A.
At the side of the table D¹ toward the saws it is provided at the top with a series of
vertical guiding blades the sharp upper edges of which incline downwardly and
outwardly from the saws. The vertical planes of these guiding blades are parallel
with the planes of the star wheels, and perpendicular to the axis of the saw
shaft A.
The inner edge of the table D' is at a sufficient distance from the saws to afford
clearance for them, and the saws are provided with a system of laterally movable
strippers which project respectively into the spaces between the saws and prevent any
short pieces or butt-ends of cane from falling down through or clogging the spaces
between the saws.
The strippers may be constructed in a variety of ways. Thus they may be in the
form of horizontal arms rigidly attached to a horizontal bar Has is represented
in Figure 12, to which bar end wise reciprocating motion is imparted by the wabbling
action of the saws upon the arms hand upon the shoulders H' and H2 which
respectively bear upon the outer sides of the outermost saws; or the stripper arms h
may be made independently movable, which is conveniently effected by pivotally'
connecting their outer ends with the top of the horizontal girder I which is
arranged beneath the table D and bolted at its opposite ends, respectively, to the
end standards of the machine, as shown in Figures 4 and 11. The inner portion
of each arm is provided with the upward offset 2 the upper edge of which is sub-
stantially on a line with the surface of the table D¹. It will be seen that it is the
offset portion of each of the arms which projects into the space between, the saws,
and these portions may be provided upon their opposite sides with the rounded
bosses for bearing against the sides of the saws respectively.
The independently pivoted strippers may also be constructed, as shown in
Figures 13, 14, 15 and 16, with curved arms, such as the arm * extending upward
between the adjacent saws, respectively. In such case, the horizontal part of the
stripper will be loosely pivoted to the girder I and hence be given capacity of rocking
upon a horizontal axis, as well as the capacity of swaying in a horizontal planc.
Thus, each of the curved arms will be free to accommodate itself to the wabbling
movement of the drunken saws between which it is placed.
The saws are preferably protected at the top by the hinged shield A². A separate
driving shaft L is preferably employed for driving all the moving parts of the machine
except the saws, and is itself rotated by a belt applied to the pulley L'. The driving
shaft L is provided with a sprocket wheel E for engaging the sprocket chain E* which
drives the rotating feeder and is also provided with a sprocket wheel d¹ for driving
the sprocket chain d2 which engages the sprocket wheel d³ affixed to the counter
shaft d from which motion is imparted to the delivery belt D by the engagement of
the spur wheel d³ with the pinion de affixed to the shaft of the driving roller d' of the

page_text: delivery belt. D which is an endless belt, stretched over the driving roller d' and the
stretching roller dª.
Motion is also taken from the driving shaft L by means of the miter gears 1, to
rotate the driving roller N of the discharging apron n stretched across beneath the
saws over the driving roller N and the stretching roller N¹.
As will be seen the saws operate to make a wide cut, owing to their diagonal
positions with relation to the axis of rotation. The cane, forcibly fed against the
drunken saws by the rotating feeder, is prevented from yielding laterally to the
wabbling action of the saws by the vertical guiding blades d which, in addition to
affording lateral support for the cane, serve to guide it in paths perpendicular to the
axis of the saws.
The laterally movable strippers may, of course, be arranged in a different part of
the machine, as for example, on the side of the drunken saws opposite that where
the cane is delivered. They would in such case perform their stripping functions
with equal effect, but by placing them in the position shown, those portions of
them which project into the space between the saws serve to detain any short
pieces of cane in positions where they will be subject to the abrading action of
the saws.
The shredded cane falls from the saws upon the discharging apron n by which
it is discharged at the side of the machine where convenient access can be had
to it.
It will of course be understood that if the machine is in an elevated position the
discharging apron n can be dispensed with and its place taken by a hopper placed
beneath the saws for catching the shredded cane and guiding it into a chute for
conducting it into a bin or other receptacle which may be provided for it.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what
I claim is:
1. The combination, in a disintegrating machine, as herein set forth, of a system of
drunken saws with a system of strippers, respectively projecting into the spaces
between the saws and having the capacity of vibrating laterally in a plane parallel
with the axis of the saws.
2. The combination, in a disintegrating machine, of a system of drunken saws,
with a system of independently movable strippers respectively projecting into the
spaces between the saws and loosely pivoted to the frame of the machine and thereby
adapted to accommodate themselves to the wabbling movement of the saws, substan-
tially as shown and described.
3. A system of drunken saws, a table arranged in proximity thereto, and a rotating
feeder for feeding the material to be disintegrated across the table to the saws, in
combination with a system of laterally movable strippers arranged beneath said table,
but at one end extending beyond the same into the spaces between the saws, as and
for the purposes set forth.
4. A system of drunken saws, and interplaced movable strippers, a table arranged
in proximity thereto, and a rotating feeder for feeding the material to be disintegrated
across said table, in combination with a series of parallel vertical blades affixed to
and projecting upward from said table in planes perpendicular to the axis of the saws,
as and for the purposes set forth.
5. In a disintegrating machine, the combination, as herein described, of a system
of drunken saws, a system of movable strippers projecting slightly into the spaces
between the saws, respectively, and having the capacity of accommodating them-
selves to the wabbling movements of the saws, a feed table arranged in proximity
to said saws and a rotating feeder arranged above the said table, as and for the
purposes set forth.
6. The rotating feeder E constructed, as herein set forth, of the series of star
pointed wheels loosely keyed upon the shaft E' of the said feeder, and combined
with the series of stationary plates projecting into the spaces between the said

page_text: star pointed wheels, for acting as strippers and for holding said star pointed wheels
at proper distances apart upon the shaft E'.
7. In a disintegrating machine, the combination, as herein set forth, of the delivery
belt D, the table D', the shaft A, the system of drunken saws mounted thereon
and provided with interplaced strippers adapted to accommodate themselves to the
wabbling movements of the saws, and the rotating feeder E, as and for the purposes
described.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.