IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING OR PREPARING AND BOILING RAGS AND OTHER MATERIALS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Robertson, of Valleyfield, in the County of
Midlothian, North Britain, Engineer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING OR PREPARING AND
BOILING RAGS AND OTHER MATERIALS."
Sealed the 13th November 1857, and dated the 9th June 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Robertson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
9th June 1857.
I, JOHN ROBERTSON, of Valleyfield, in the County of Midlothian, North
Britain, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING OR PREPARING AND
BOILING RAGS AND OTHER MATERIALS," to be as follows, that is to say :-
This Invention relates chiefly to the arrangement and construction of
machinery for treating or boiling rags or other materials prior to their being
used in the manufacture of paper. The especial objects of the Invention are
the facilitating of the charging and discharging the contents of the boiling
vessel, and the simplifying of the means for communicating a rotatory motion
thereto. The apparatus consists of a double or annular boiler, the space
between the shell and the inner vessel forming an encircling steam jacket to
the inner vessel or rag holder. The boiling vessel is placed in a horizontal

page_text: position, and is made with a flange at each end, which rests upon antifriction.
wheels actuated by means of gearing driven from a main shaft. By means
of a two-way cock and stuffing box, fitted at one end of the boiling vessel and
communicating with suitable pipes, steam may be admitted to the annular
space between the vessels whilst caustic liquor is supplied to the inner vessel.
The other end of the vessel is made removeable in order to charge or discharge
the contents of the boiler. The end or door is attached to the boiler by
means of bolts and nuts; and prior to removing the door it is slung by means
of a link to a carriage fitted overhead, which travels to and fro on rails. The
inner or boiling vessel is fitted with a series of fins or partition pieces pro-
jecting radially inwards; these serve to break up or agitate the mass of rags
or other materials under operation. When put to use, the inner vessel is
charged with a quantity of rags suitable to its capacity, and the lid is screwed
on and the necessary quantity of caustic alkaline liquor admitted through the
two-way cock. The alkaline liquor being shut off, steam is admitted, and the
boiling vessel is set in motion. By this means the contents of the inner
vessel are quickly converted into a state suitable for the paper maker's purpose.
The boiling vessel may also be driven by gearing instead of antifriction wheels
as above described.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Robertson in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
8th December 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ROBERTSON, of Valleyfield, in the County of Midlothian, North Britain,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Ninth day of June, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said John Robertson, Her special license that I, the said John Robertson,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Robertson, my executors, administrators, or assigns, should at any time
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times 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

page_text: MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR TREATING OR PREPARING AND BOILING RAGS AND
OTHER MATERIALS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John
Robertson, by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, 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 Robertson, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement, reference being had to the accompanying Drawings, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon, that is to say:-
My said Invention relates chiefly to the arrangement and construction of
machinery for treating or boiling rags or other materials prior to their being
used in the manufacture of paper. The especial objects of the Invention are,
the facilitating of the charging and discharging the contents of the boiling
vessel, and the simplifying of the means for communicating a rotatory motion
thereto. The apparatus consists of a double or annular boiler, the space
between the shell and the inner vessel forming an encircling steam jacket to
the inner vessel or rag holder. The boiling vessel is placed in a horizontal
position, and is made with a flange at each end, which rests upon antifriction
wheels actuated by means of gearing driven from a main shaft. By means
of a two-way cock and stuffing box, fitted at one end of the boiling vessel and
communicating with suitable pipes, steam may be admitted to the annular
space between the vessels whilst caustic liquor is supplied to the inner vessel.
The other end of the vessel is made removeable in order to charge or discharge
the contents of the boiler. The end or door is attached to the boiler by
means of bolts and nuts; and prior to removing the door it is slung by means
of a link to a carriage fitted overhead, which travels to and fro on rails. The
inner or boiling vessel is fitted with a series of fins or partition pieces pro-
jecting radially inwards; these serve to break up or agitate the mass of rags
or other materials under operation. When put to use, the inner vessel is
charged with a quantity of rags suitable to its capacity, and the lid is screwed
on and the necessary quantity of caustic alkaline liquor admitted through the
two-way cock. The alkaline liquor being shut off, steam is admitted, and the
boiling vessel is set in motion. By this means the contents of the inner
vessel are quickly converted into a state suitable for the
paper maker's
The boiling vessel may also be driven by gearing instead of antifriction wheels
as above described.
purpose.

page_text: And in order that my said Invention may be properly understood, I shall
now proceed to describe the several illustrative Figures on the explanatory
Sheet of Drawings, which I have bereunto annexed for the purpose of showing
certain modifications under which-my Invention may be judiciously carried out
in practice.
:
Figure 1 on my Drawings is a partially sectional longitudinal elevation-of
one modification of my improved machinery or apparatus for treating or
preparing and boiling rags and other materials; Figure 2 is an end view of
the apparatus, having one half of the end cover removed to show the internal.
arrangement of the boiler; Figure 3 is an elevation or side view of the end
cover and apparatus for slinging and removing it.
The boiling apparatus is primarily supported by two cast-iron standards A,
each of which carries a pedestal bearing B, in which the shaft C rotates. To
one end of the shaft C is keyed a spur wheel D, motion is communicated
thereto from the main or driving shaft E. This shaft is carried in a pair of
pedestal bearings F, one of which is in this modification bolted to the wall
box G, and the other to one of the standards A. The main shaft E derives
its' motion direct from the engine or other prime mover, and communicates.
this rotatory motion through a pinion H, fitted at its inner end to the spur
wheel D. As well as the wheel D, the shaft C also carries two antifriction
Parallel with the
wheels I, which are driven by the motion of the shaft C.
antifriction wheels I is fitted another and corresponding pair of antifriction
wheels J, and upon these four wheels the boiler K rests and is driven thereby.
The boiling vessel K is a cylindrical vessel, made of boiler plates riveted
together; the ends are spherical, and one of them L is riveted to the boiler,
whilst the other one forms a moveable cover M, which is secured to the
cylindrical part of the boiling vessel by means of bolts. To each end of the
cylindrical portion of the boiling vessel K is riveted a cast-iron flange N;
these flanges rest upon the antifriction wheels I and J, which are made with a
flange or rim similar to a railway wheel, which prevents the boiling vessel
moving from its position upon the wheels. A rotatory movement is commu-
nicated to the boiler K by the motion of the antifriction wheels I, which are
driven by the shaft E. The secondary pair of antifriction wheels J are not
driven from the prime mover, but merely rotate with the motion of the boiler
K, and thereby serve to reduce the friction of the flanges N.
the boiler K. is fitted with a smaller sized cylinder O, made of
plates, and arranged concentric with the outer vessel K.
cylinder O is divided as it were into segments by a series of radially disposed
fins or partition pieces P; these fins are attached to the outer cylinder K,
The interior of
perforated iron
The perforated

page_text: and project inwards through the perforated cylinder O; the fins P are thus
arranged for the purpose of agitating or breaking up the mass of rags of other,
materials placed within the boiler, so that the alkaline liquor or other
cleansing agent employed may freely permeate the whole. The cleansing
agent and the steam used for heating it are admitted to the interior of the
boiler K through the end L, which is fitted with a stuffing box and gland Q;
the inner part of the stuffing-box terminates in a chamber R, from which
the pipes S diverge. These pipes S are carried outwards to the annular
space between the boiler K and its inner cylinder O, where they pass along
between the two vessels and terminate at about the centre of their length, as
shown in the longitudinal view, Figure 1. The stuffing box Q receives the
end of a pipe T, through which the alkaline liquor or other cleansing agent
and the steam is passed. The pipe T is attached to a two-way pipe U, one
passage of which is controlled by the cock V, whilst the other passage W.
which is intended for the admission of steam, may be controlled by a cock or
valve fitted to any convenient part of the steam pipe. The arrangement of
the pipe T in the stuffing box Q admits of the admission of liquid or steam
at pleasure without impeding or interfering with the rotatory motion of the
boiler K. The rags or other materials to be cleansed or treated are introduced
to the interior of the boiler K by removing its end M; this end cover is
made of boiler plate riveted to a cast-iron flange, on the inner side of which
is turned a projecting rim X (Figure 3), which fits into a corresponding.
groove Y made in the flange of the boiler K. The projecting rim X and.
groove Y are turned to fit each other accurately, so as to obtain a steam-tight
joint, when the end cover M is secured by its connecting bolts to the vessel K.
For the convenience of removal the end cover M is arranged so as to be
readily attached to a travelling carriage, which moves to and fro upon a rail
fitted to a beam overhead. The end cover M has a hook projecting from its
flange, by which it is attached to a shackle Z; this shackle is suspended from
a pair of pendent bracket pieces a. These bracket pieces a are attached by
nuts to the spindles of a pair of wheels b, which traverse to and fro upon the
rail c fitted to the beam d. With this arrangement the end cover M may be
slung while the nuts are unscrewed, and the cover may then be moved away
from the boiler, affording convenient access to its interior. A guage cock e is
5 fitted in the cover M, for testing the height of the liquid or cleansing agent
within the boiler. The rags or other materials to be operated upon are put
in the perforated vessel O and the cover M bolted on, and a sufficient quantity
of alkaline liquor or other suitable cleansing agent is admitted through the
pipe T by turning on the cock V. When the desired quantity has been

page_text: passed into the vessel, the cock V is turned off and the steam admitted
through the lateral branch W and pipe T. The boiler is now put in motion
through the medium of the shaft E and the antifriction wheels I, the pressure
of the steam being meanwhile regulated so as to maintain the desired
temperature within the boiler K. The rotatory motion of the boiler causes
the rags to fall over and over upon the fins P, whereby they are separated,
so that the liquid used as the cleansing agent is freely brought into contact
with the different portions of the materials. The rotatory motion of the
boiler is kept up as long as may be considered necessary to effect the
thorough cleansing of the materials under operation. When it is desired to
remove the materials from the boiler, the steam is shut off, and the rotatory
movement of the boiler is stopped, when the two cocks ƒ and g are in a
vertical line, as shown in Figure 1 of my Drawings; the lower cock g is now
opened to permit the escape of the cleansing liquid, which escape is hastened
by the pressure of the steam upon the liquid. When the liquor has run off
the steam may be carried away by a pipe screwed on to the end of the cock f
and may be economically applied to the heating of the next charge of the
cleansing liquid; the end cover M is then removed, and being drawn away
from the boiler, the cleansed rags or other materials are allowed to fall into
boxes placed underneath for the purpose. The emptying of the boiler is
facilitated by putting it in motion, which causes the contents to be rapidly
discharged. The rags or other materials after having undergone the pre-
paratory process of cleansing and boiling, are then ready for the subsequent
operation of being beaten into pulp.
Having now described and particularly ascertained the nature of my said
Invention, and the manner in which the same is or may be used or carried
into effect, I may observe, in conclusion, that I do not confine or restrict
myself to the precise details or arrangements which I have had occasion to
describe or refer to, as many variations may be made therefrom without
deviating from the principles or main features of my Invention; but what
I consider to be novel and original, and therefore claim as the Invention
secured to me by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent, is,
First, the general arrangement and construction of machinery or apparatus
for treating or preparing and boiling rags or other materials used in the
manufacture of paper, as herein-before described.
Second, the use and application of a rotatory boiler for treating or preparing
rags or other materials, and arranged as herein-before described, or any mere
modification thereof.
Third, the system or mode of treating or preparing rags or other materials

page_text: for the manufacture of paper by boiling them in rotatory boiler to which the
cleansing agent and steam can be admitted at pleasure without stopping or
impeding the motion of the boiler, as herein-before described.
Fourth, the system or mode of communicating a rotatory motion from the
prime mover to the boiler by means of antifriction wheels, as herein-before
described.
Fifth, the system or mode of arranging, constructing, and slinging the end
covers or doors of boiling vessels horizontally disposed, for the purpose of
affording easy and ready access to the interior of the boiler, as herein-before
described.
Sixth, the system or mode of arranging the internal parts of vessels for
treating or preparing rags or other materials in which a perforated internal
cylinder is used in conjunction with fins or partition pieces radially disposed
for the purpose of breaking up or disintegrating the rags or materials under
operation, thereby affording the free access of the cleansing liquid and steam
thereto, so as to facilitate and more effectually perform the treating or pre-
paring operation, as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Robertson, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifth day of December, One thousand eight
hundred and fifty-seven.
JOHN ROBERTSON. (L.S.)