Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Hides, Skins, and other Articles or Materials.
Year: 1886

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Dec., 1886.
Specification Accepted, 7th June, 1887.
Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Hides, Skins, and other
Articles or Materials.
I, JOHN HEWETSON LORIMER, of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. Manufacturer,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
DRYING HIDES, SKINS AND OTHER ARTICLES OR MATERIALS," and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :-
My invention has reference to drying apparatus; and consists in certain
improvements fully set forth in the following specifications and shown in the
accompanying drawings which form part thereof.
Heretofore in drying glue, skins, hides, etc. it has been customary to spread them
out in layers and expose them to the action of the atmosphere or suns rays.
That method of accomplishing the result is necessarily very slow and at the same
time uncertain as it is well known that sometimes for a week or more the sun is
obscured and the atmosphere is damp and in any but a proper condition for drying.
Furthermore owing to the long time required, and the fact that only a single layer of
material can be treated at one time, a large area is necessary to suit the capacity
of an ordinary factory in any one of the branches of industry in which these materials
are to be dried in their preparation.
The object of my invention is to provide suitable drying apparatus whereby the
materials to be dried may be passed through the apparatus in a limited time and are
treated to mechanical air draughts pure and simple, or impregnated with disinfectant
or bleaching vapors or gases whereby in a limited space of time the materials are
thoroughly dried and the manufacturer is enabled to guarantee his production. In
carrying out my invention I provide one or more tubular passageways or chambers
through which vehicles or trucks are caused to pass, preferably in an intermittent
manner, that is to say moving a certain distance through said passageway and then
being arrested for a period of time, then moved again and arrested, until they gradually
work their way through the passageway or chamber. The said intermittent movement
could be made automatic at certain intervals of time, or could be controlled by hand
and operated each time and a new or freshly laden truck or vehicle is run into the
passageway. Through this passageway or chamber preferably in an opposite direction
to the movement of the vehicle air currents are caused to pass being circulated by a
suction fan or other mechanical means, and this air may be either cold or heated, and

page_text: pure or impregnated with disinfecting or bleaching substances. Where considerable
length of time is required in the drying operation two or more of these passageways
may be connected together so that a truck could be run successively through each of
them. It is also desirable to make the vehicles move automatically, and to do this I
arrange the rails on an incline and provide suitable stops to control their progress.
At the adjacent ends of two passages or chambers I provide a transverse railway and
truck whereby the vehicle passing through one chamber or passage may be conveyed
to the other chamber or passage in a convenient manner, and if desired automatically,
the transversely moving truck resetting itself after each delivery.
A drying apparatus of this kind is well adapted to almost all the industrial arts as
with it, paper pulp, paper boards of all descriptions glue, hides, skins, &c. can with
equal facility be dried.
In the drawings:-
Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a drying apparatus embodying my improvements with
one portion thereof broken away to show the transversely moving truck.
Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus having the roof thereof removed to show the
interior.
Fig. 3 is a cross section of same on line x x and
Fig. 4 is a perspective view illustrating the relative arrangement of the rails.
A and B represent two parallel passages or chambers and are united at one end by
an opening C.. D is a fan which draws the air from the end F of the passage or
chamber A causing fresh air to enter at the end E of the chamber B, and insuring its
passage first through one chamber and then through the other. This air may be cold
or may be heated by any suitable heating apparatus e before entering the chamber B.
If desired the circulating fan D may be connected by a pipe G with the end E of
chamber B. By this means the same air may be used over and over again, and if
desired may be supplied with a disinfectant or bleaching gas or vapor by a pipe d
which may enter the air supply or directly into the chamber itself, and it is drawn
through with the drying air. In place of air any suitable gas might be used.
H represents rails in said chambers A and B and are preferably set on an incline as
indicated in Fig. 4 whereby a truck would run down to the right (Fig. 2) through
chamber A, and to the left through chamber B, being transferred by the truck K
running upon transverse rails I arranged in the pit J. These rails I are also arranged
on an incline descending from the chamber A to chamber B and the outer rail may be
raised as at i so as to automatically tip the truck K and cause its burden to run off
upon the rails in the chamber B. The truck K may be returned or reset by a weight
and cable W which is sufficient to draw it back when unloaded. L represent a series
of trucks or vehicles upon which the material to be dried is placed and practically fill
the cross section of the interior of the chamber. M are a series of stops adapted to
prevent the continuous passage of the vehicles containing the materials to be dried,
and may be operated by rods N either automatically or by hand. When the rods N
are freed, the vehicles I move past the catches or stops holding them and are arrested
by the next stops, so that their progress through the said chambers are intermittent,
and one vehicle passes out at E only when a freshly laden vehicle passes in at the
entrance a to the chamber A; or if desired, a single vehicle might be intermittently
propelled from a to E. The rods N may be connected together as at T, and may be
drawn back into locking position by a spring R, and locked by a pawl Q moving up in
front of a nut S on the rod N. When the pawl is moved away the vehicles owing to
their weight trip the catches M and pass on to the next stop or catch after the spring R
has reset the said catches and they have become once more locked by the pawl Qand
nut S. This action may be made automatic by any suitable mechanism connecting
with the engine or with the fan or blower. As shown O represents gearing rotated by
the blower and provided with a pin P adapted to act upon the spring pawl Q to trip it
at the right instant.
I do not limit myself to any particular form of catch or stop as they may be
constructed in a number of ways. I do not limit myself to the incline railways as
they may be horizontal and the vehicles pushed or propelled through the chambers,
and in place of the railways being arranged on the ground the vehicles may run upon

page_text: overhead tracks as indicated at L' in lines Fig. 3, therefore while I prefer the
construction shown I do not limit myself thereto as the details may be modified in
various ways without departing from my invention.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed. I declare that what I claim is :-
1st. A passageway or chamber in combination with a fan to cause a current of air
or gas to pass through said passageway or chamber from end to end, and one or more
vehicles adapted to carry the material to be dried and be moved through said
passageway or chamber, and a pipe to admit a disinfectant or bleaching medium the
suction end of the drying chamber.
2nd. A passageway or chamber, in combination with a fan to cause a current of air
or gas to pass through said passageway or chamber from end to end, inclined rails
arranged within said passageway, one or more vehicles adapted to run upon said
rails to carry the material to be dried and be moved through said passageway or
chamber, and stops or catches to control the movement of said vehicles.
3rd. A passageway or chamber in combination with a fan to cause a current of air
or gas to pass through said passageway or chamber from end to end, inclined rails
arranged within said passageway or chamber, one or more vehicles adapted to run
upon said rails to carry the material to be dried and be moved through said passageway
or chamber, stops or catches to control the movement of said vehicles, and automatic
mechanism to periodically actuate said stops to insure the travel of the vehicles with a
given velocity.
4th. The combination of two or more drying chambers arranged substantially
parallel, an inclined transverse railway connecting adjacent ends of adjacent chambers,
inclined railways in said chambers, a conveying or transfer truck to run upon said
transverse railway, vehicles to carry the material to be dried adapted to run upon
said railways of said chambers and be transferred by the transfer track, and a fan or
blower to force or draw a drying medium through said chambers.
5th. The combination of chambers A B, with a fan or blower to cause a circulation
of a drying medium through said chambers in succession, inclined railways in said
chambers the inclination in adjacent chambers being in opposite directions, and a
connecting railway between the railways of said chambers, whereby a vehicle carrying
the material to be dried may pass successively through said chambers.
6th. The combination of chambers A B with a fan or blower to cause a circulation
of a drying medium through said chambers in succession, inclined railways in said
chamber, the inclination in adjacent chambers being in opposite directions, a connecting
railway between the railways of said chambers, whereby a vehicle carrying the material
to be dried may pass successively through said chambers, and stops arranged at
intervals along said railways to control the passage or said vehicles.
7th. The combination of chambers A B with a fan or blower to cause a circulation
of a drying medium through said chambers in succession, inclined railways in said
chambers, the inclination in adjacent chambers being in opposite directions and a
connecting railway between the railways of said chambers, whereby a vehicle carrying
the material to be dried may pass successively through said chambers, stops arranged
at intervals along said railways to control the passage of said vehicles, and connecting
rods for operating all of the stops simultaneously.
Dated this 13th day of December 1886.
JOHN H. LORIMER.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.