IMPROVEMENTS IN PAPER-RAG ENGINES
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine,
Lake, & Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for
the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PAPER-RAG ENGINES."-A com-
munication from abroad by Newton W. Taylor and Joseph W.
Brightman, both of Cleveland, Ohio, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition,
on the 2nd April 1872.
I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co.,
Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN PAPER-RAG ENGINES,"
a communication, to be as follows:-
66
This Invention has for its object, first, the construction of the roller
of a paper-rag engine. The said roller is made to consist of a cast-iron
cylinder or shell, in which the fly bars are secured by casting the metal
of the cylinder around them. It also has for its object the construction

page_text: '
of the bed of the engine, which consists of a cast-iron plate having the
bars secured therein by casting the metal of the said bed plate around
them. It furthermore has for its object a device whereby the said bed
is secured in place under the roller, and which when worn out can be
removed to give place to a new one.
The said roller consists of a hollow
cast-iron cylinder or shell, having in each of its two heads a hole for the
admission of a shaft whereby it is driven. In the face of the shell and
lengthwise therewith are secured the corrugated bars. The said bars
consist of thin plates of steel of a uniform thickness and width, and of
a length equal to that of the shell in whose face they are secured by
arranging them in the mould in which the shell or cylinder is cast, the
melted metal being allowed to run in between the bars. By this means
the lower edge of each plate or bar is buried in the face of the roll or
shell to a depth sufficient to scoure them thereto in a strong and per-
manent manner. As the bars are of a uniform thickness they become
no thicker by wearing down even to the face of the shell, hence they
require no refitting or thinning to keep them in good working condition.
The bars in consequence of being corrugated require no filling between
them to prevent their becoming bent from a radial position, for the angles
or curves of the corrugations serve as braces for supporting the radial
projections; also in consequence of the corrugated shape of the bars
they do not wear unevenly in consequence of their contact with the
corrugated bars of the bed on which they roll.
A further improvement as aforesaid consists in the construction of the
bed of the engine, which is as follows:-The bed plate in which the
bars are secured is of cast iron, the bars are corrugated thin plates of
steel of a uniform thickness and width and of a length to correspond
with the length of the cylinder. or roller. The said bars are secured in
the bed plate during the time of casting the said plate, the said bars
being arranged in order in the mould for the bed plate, and the melted
metal therefor allowed to run between them. In this way the lower
edge of the bars is embedded in the metal of the plate sufficiently deep
to hold them in a vertical position. The angular shape of the bars
prevents their being bent from a vertical line, hence no filling is required
between them in order to support them in a vertical position; but a
small portion of the edge of the bars is buried. in the cast-iron bed
plate, therefore but a small part of the bars is lost when they are worn
down to the face of the plate, which is then quickly and casily removed

page_text: for the replacing of it by a new one.
The bed is secured under the roller
by means of a shoe, which consists of a bottom plate having two up-
turned sides with an open top and ends. Along the inner edge of each
of the sides is a cleat or rib of a triangular shape when viewed endwise.
Transversely on each end of the under side of the bed is cast a dove-
tailed rib, which is made to fit the cleats of the shoe into which the
bed slides. The under side of the bed rests upon the edges of the sides,
and is secured from being lifted upward by the ribs. By securing the
bed under the roll in this way it can be easily removed and replaced by
a new one when worn out.
I do not confine myself to the use of corrugated bars, as herein
shown, as I contemplate using straight ones or bars of different angles
or forms from those hercin specified; but they must be secured to the
cylinder or shell in the same way as the bars herein-before described.
The bars in the bed plate may be arranged with their angle reversely to
each other, either singly or in a series of reverse relations, and the said
bars instead of being constructed with angular corrugations may have
rounded or waving corrugations.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Scal Patent
Office on the 1st October 1872.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, WILLIAM
ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Second day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two, in the
thirty-fifth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and suc-
cessors, give and grant unto me, the said William Robert Lake, Her
special licence, that I, the said William Robert Lake, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said William Robert
Lake, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any timė
agree with, and no others, from time to time and at all times there-
after during the term therein expressed, should and lawfully might
make, use, exercise, and vend, within the United Kingdom of Great

page_text: whereby it is driven, and D is the bed upon which the said roller runs
when cutting the pulp. The said roller consists of a hollow cast-iron
cylinder or shell E, Figure 5, having in each of its two heads a hole
for the admission of the shaft C whereby it is driven. In the face of the
shell and lengthwise therewith are secured the corrugated bars F. The
said bars consist of thin plates of steel of a uniform thickness and width,
and of a length equal to that of the shell in whose face they are secured
by arranging them in the mould in which the shell or cylinder is cast,
the melted metal being allowed to run in between the bars. By this
means the lower edge of each plate or bar is buried in the face of the
roll or shell to a depth sufficient to secure it thereto in a strong and:
permanent manner as shown in Figure 6.
The usual method of constructing rag-engine rolls is as follows:-A
pair of discs of the proper diameter for the heads of the roll are secured
to a shaft, and a third disc is secured to the shaft between them as a
central support to the bars. On the inside of the edge of each head
or disc are cut radial grooves, wherein are inserted the ends of the bars
which are thereby held in a radial position. These bars are kept from
falling out of the grooves by the application of a band of iron shrunk
on the periphery of the heads of the roll, which bands are made to
project inwardly far enough to embrace a part of the ends of the bars,
a square notch being cut in the end of each bar for the admission of
the band, thereby holding them in the grooves by a section of their
lower edge below the notch. These bars are straight, hence in order
to give them sufficient strength to resist being torn from the heads and
being bent from a radial position, they are made thicker at the lower
edge than at the upper edge, that is to say, each bar when viewed end-
wise is of the shape of a thin wedge, and to prevent as aforesaid their
being bent from a radial position the spaces between the series of bars
are filled with wood. A roll thus constructed is seriously objectionable
for the reason that in consequence of the bars being so thick at the
lower edge the upper edge on wearing down becomes too thick for good
service, and therefore they require to be thinned by planing down the
sides to a thin edge. This is a work of much labour and expense, and
during the operation of thinning down the bars the engine lies idle.
Another objection is that as the bars of the roller are straight, and the
bars of the bed on which it rolls are made corrugated, the straight
roller bars wear irregularly, so that the work of the engine is not

page_text: effectually done. These objections are avoided by the use of the
improved roll herein described. As the bars are of a uniform thickness
they become no thicker by wearing down even to the face of the shell,
hence they require no refitting or thinning to keep them in good work-
ing condition. The bars in consequence of being corrugated require no
filling between them to prevent their becoming bent from a radial
position, for the angles or curves of the corrugations serve as braces
for supporting the radial projections; also in consequence of the corru-
gated shape of the bars they do not wear unevenly in consequence
of their contact with the corrugated bars of the bed on which they
roll.
.
A further improvement as aforesaid consists in the construction of the
bed of the engine which is as follows:-In Figure 4 G represents the
bed plate in which the bars H are secured. The said bed plate is of cast
iron, the bars are corrugated thin plates of steel of a uniform thickness
and width, and of a length corresponding with the length of the cylinder
or roller B. The said bars are secured in the bed plate during the time
of casting the said plate, the bars being arranged in order in the mould
for the bed plate, and the melted metal therefor allowed to run between
them. In this way the lower edge of the bars is embedded in the metal
of the plate sufficiently deep to hold them in a vertical position, as
shown in Figure 4. The angular shape of the bars prevents their being
bent from a vertical line, hence no filling is required between them in
order to support them in a vertical position.
The bed plates for these machines are usually constructed as follows:-
A number of plates or bars of the proper width and length are placed
side by side and then secured to each other by bolts passing through
them. These bars form the bed of the engine or that part thereof imme-
diately under the roller. A bed thus made is objectionable for the
reason that when all of the part of the bars above the bolts is worn away
the part in and about the bolts and below them and which constitutes a
large portion of the bars is thrown away; hence such beds become
expensive for an entire new bed must replace the old one, and much
time and labor are required for removing the one and properly fitting in
the other.
To avoid this trouble and expense the aforesaid improved engine bed
is made as herein described. As will be observed, it requires no bolts, and
inasmuch as but a small portion of the edge of the bars is buried in the

page_text: -cast-iron bed plate, therefore but a small part of the bars is lost when
they are worn down to the face of the plate, which is. then quickly and
easily removed for replacing it by a new one. The bed is secured under
the roller by means of a shoe I, an end view of which is shown in
Figure 4. The said shoe consists of a bottom plate having two upturned
sides K with an open top and ends, along the inner edge of each of the
sides is a cleat or rib a of a triangular shape when viewed endwise, as
shown in Figure 4. Transversely on each end of the under side of the
bed is cast a dovetailed rib P made to fit the cleats a of the shoe into
which the bed slides, as shown in Figure 4, where it will be seen that
the, under side of the bed rests upon the edges of the sides K, and is
secured from being lifted upward by the transverse bars L and the ribs a
which are dovetailed as shown. By securing the bed under the roll
in this way it can be easily removed and replaced by a new one when
worn out, thereby saving much time, labour, and expense in replacing
the machine.
I do not confine myself to the use of corrugated bars as herein shown,
but may use straight ones or bars of different angles or forms; but they
must be secured to the cylinder or shell in the same way as the bars
herein-before described. The bars in the bed plate may be arranged
with their angles reversely to each other either singly or in a series of
reverse relations, and the said bars instead of being constructed with
angular corrugations, as represented in Figures 1, 2, and 3, may have
rounded or waving corrugations as shown in Figures 7, 8, 9, and 10.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondents and the manner of performing the same,
I wish it understood that I claim,-
First. The herein described paper-rag engine roller, consisting of the
cast-iron cylinder or shell E having bars F secured thereto by arranging
the said bars in the mould in which the said cylinder is cast and allowing
the metal thereof to run between the bars, whereby their edge becomes
embedded in the face of the cylinder, substantially as and for the purpose
set forth.
Second. The herein described bed for a paper-rag engine, consisting of
the cast-iron bed plate or piece G, having corrugated bars H of a uniform
thickness secured thereto by arranging the said bars in the mould in
which the said bed plate is cast and allowing the metal to run between

page_text: the bars, whereby their edge becomes embedded in the bed plate, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose specified.
Third. The bars F having either angular or rounded corrugations in
combination with the bed D of the engine and the cylinder E thereof,
in the manner and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. The shoe I constructed with sides K and cleats a in combi-
nation with the bed plate G, substantially in the manner and for the
purpose set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have here.
unto set my hand and seal, this First day of October, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-two.
Witness,.
W. J. LOWE.
W. ROB. LAKE.
(L.S.)