Improvements in Rag Engines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Improvements in Rag Engines.
I THOMAS HORROX, of Bank Vale, Hayfield, in the County of Derby, Manager, do
hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to rag engines used in the manufacture of paper pulp,
and particularly to the fixed knives of such engines, and secondly to means for setting
or adjusting the same in the bed plate box, the object being to save time and labour
in readjusting the said knives after they have become worn, and to avoid the
necessity for removing the bed plate box, and for stopping ths engine as usual during
this operation.
According to the first part of my invention, instead of using straight knives and
dividers as usual, I make the knives and dividers bent or corrugated from side to
side so as to form one or more slight angles in their length, and by this means I
obtain a longer and more effective shearing edge, and furthermore the knives are
stronger and can be made of a greater depth, and will therefore last longer without
readjustment. I find that by this invention I am able to use knives the edges of
which are two inches beyond the dividers, whereas the edges of the usual straight
knives can only be about of an inch beyond the said dividers.
The dividers are made in sections and can be removed without taking the plate
in pieces.
According to the second part of my invention I make the bottom of the bed
plate box inclined so that the inner end is slightly more shallow than the outer end,
and I fit the knives down upon a sliding wedge plate passed into the box through the
outer end and resting on the bottom, the incline of the wedge plate being such as to
make the box of equal depth throughout, so that the knives are set or fixed truly
in the box.
When the knives become worn by the action of the machine in which they are
set, the above named wedge plate is withdrawn so as to form a space beneath the
knives in the bed plate box; a loose metal or other suitable sheet or plate of
suitable thickness can be then placed upon the top of the wedge plate between it and
the knives, and the wedge plate is then pushed or forced back into its place together
with the loose sheet or plate. The knives will thus be all simultaneously and
equally raised to the required extent in the box, and their edges will be in working
order again.
To facilitate the removal of the wedge plate I prolong the bottom of the box at its
outer end for a convenient distance, and at the end thereof I fit a suitable removable
bracket through which passes a screwed spindle, so connected to a bracket at the
outer end of the wedge plate that it can be readily fitted thereto, when it is desired
to readjust the knives; and by this means the wedge plate can be moved outwards,
to loosen it from between the knives and the bottom of the box. The screw and
removable bracket are then taken away, the wedge plate is fully drawn out, and a
loose sheet or plate placed on the latter which is then forced back to readjust the
knives.

page_text: If it is desired to slope the working edges of the knives, as usual in some cases, the
loose sheet or plate may be wedge shaped also.
It will be seen that by the use of my improved apparatus the bed plate box need
not be removed from its place to readjust the knives, and this operation will now only
be the work of a few minutes instead of about three hours or more.
It will be evident that the two parts of my invention may be used separately
as well as combined.
Dated this 10th day of Fabruary 1907
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Rag Engines.
I THOMAS HORROX, late of Bank Vale, Hayfield, in the County of Derby, now of
155 Market Street, Tottington, near Bury, in the County of Lancaster, Manager, 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 :-
This invention relates to rag engines used in the manufacture of paper pulp, and
particularly to the fixed knives of such engines, and secondly to means for setting or
adjusting the same in the bed plate box, the object being to save time and labour in
readjusting the said knives after they have become worn, and to avoid the
necessity for removing the bed plate box, and for stopping the engine as usual during
this operation.
My invention will be readily understood from the following description on reference
to the accompanying sheet of drawings in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section,
Fig. 2 a plan, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the same.
According to the first part of my invention, instead of using straight knives and
dividers as usual, I make the knives a and dividers b bent or corrugated from side to
side so as to form one or more slight angles in their length see Fig. 2, and by this
means I obtain a longer and more effective shearing edge, and furthermore the
knives a are stronger and can be made of a greater depth than usual, and will
therefore last longer without readjustment. I find that by this invention I am able
to use knives a the edges of which are two inches beyond the dividers 6 (see Fig. 3)
whereas the edges of the usual straight knives can only be about of an inch beyond
the said dividers.
The dividers are made in sections and the upper parts b* (Fig. 3) can be removed
without taking the plate in pieces.
According to the second part of my invention I make the bottom c¹ of the bed
box c inclined see Fig. 1, so that the inner end is slightly more shallow than the outer
end, and I fit the knives a down upon a sliding wedge plate d passed into the box c
through the outer end and resting on the bottom c¹, the incline of the wedge plate d
being such as to make the box of equal depth throughout, so that the knives a are
set or fixed truly in the box c.
When the knives a become worn by the action of the machine in which they are
set, the above named wedge plate d is withdrawn so as to form a space beneath the
knives in the bed plate box c; a loose metal or other suitable sheet or plate e of
suitable thickness can be then placed upon the top of the wedge plate d between it
and the knives a, and the wedge plate d is then pushed or forced back into its place
together with the loose sheet or plate e. The knives a will thus be all simultaneously
and equally raised to the required extent in the box c, and their edges will be in
working order again.

page_text: To facilitate the removal of the wedge plate d I prolong the bottom c¹ of the box
at its outer end as seen at Figs. 1 and 2 for a convenient distance, and at the end
thereof I fit a suitable removable bracket 3 through which passes a screwed
spindle c so connected to a bracket at the outer end of the wedge plate d,
that it can be readily fitted thereto, when it is desired to readjust the knives a; and
by this means the wedge plate d can be moved outwards, to loosen it from between
the knives a and the bottom c¹ of the box. The screw c' and removable bracket c³
are than taken away, the wedge plate d is fully drawn out, and another loose sheet or
plate placed on the latter which is then forced back to readjust the knives.
If it is desired to slope the working edges a* of the knives a, as usual in some
cases, the loose sheet or plate e may be wedge shaped also.
It will be seen that by the use of my improved apparatus the bed plate need not
be removed from its place to readjust the knives, and this operation will now only be
the work of a few minutes instead of about three hours or more.
It will be evident that the two parts of my invention may be used separately as
well as combined.
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 with a suitable bed plate box of currugated knives and dividers,
substantially as hereinbefore set forth.
2. The combination with suitable knives and dividers of a bed plate box having
an inclined bottom and a wedge plate adjustable thereon, substantially as and for
the purpose herein before set forth.
3. The combination of the bed plate box and corrugated knives and dividers
constructed substantially as hereinbefore set forth and illustrated by the annexed
drawings.
Dated this 14th day of September 1897.
GEO. DAVIES & SON,
4, St. Ann's Square, Manchester, Agents for the Applicant.