IMPROVEMENTS IN CURING OR SEPARATING MOISTURE FROM SUGAR AND OTHER SUBSTANCES
Year: 1854

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Daniel Towers Shears, of Bankside, Southwark, in
the County of Surrey, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN CURING OR
SEPARATING MOISTURE FROM SUGAR AND OTHER SUBSTANCES."-A com-
munication.
Sealed the 22nd August 1854, and dated the 30th June 1854.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Daniel Towers Shears
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
30th June 1854.
I, DANIEL TOWERS SHEARS, of Bankside, Southwark, in the County of
Surrey, do hereby declare the nature of the Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
CURING OR SEPARATING MOISTURE FROM SUGAR AND OTHER SUBSTANCES" to be as
follows:-
This Invention consists of improvements in centrifugal machinery, with a
view to facilitate the charging of such machinery with and the delivery of the
sugar or substances without stopping. Heretofore this class of machinery has
for the most part been constructed in such manner as to require to be stopped
during the time of charging and discharging the sugar or substances; there
have, however, been proposed means for discharging and charging such
machinery when in motion by apparatus on the interior of such machines.
•

page_text: Now, the improvements consist of constructing the revolving cylinder or vessel
of a centrifugal machine in such manner that it may be caused to open when
the process is complete, and that the continued rotation shall be the incans
of throwing out the charge; and when the cylinder or vessel is again closed, it
shall be in a condition to receive a fresh charge. The arrangement for opening
the centrifugal cylinder or vessel may be varied. A very convenient con-
struction is to have the centrifugal vessel made up of parts capable of opening
outwards, but forming a complete vessel when closed; or the vessel may be
made with inclined sides, or so as to separate from the lower parts, and thus
leave an opening all round, or for the most part, through which the charge
may be thrown out by the continued centrifugal force of the machine.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Daniel Towers Shears in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 30th December 1851.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, DANIEL
TOWERS SHEARS, of Bankside, Southwark, in the County of Surrey, send
greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Thirtieth day of June, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-four, in the eighteenth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Ier heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Daniel Towers Shears, Her special license that I, the said Daniel Towers
Shears, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the
said Daniel Towers Shears, my executors, administrators, and 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 "IM-
PROVEMENTS IN CURING OR SEPARATING MOISTURE PROHI SUGAR AND OTHER
SUBSTANCES," (communicated to me from abroad), upon the condition (amongst
others) that I, the said Daniel Towers Shears, 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.

page_text: NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Daniel Towers Shears, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement thereof (that is to say):-
This Invention consists of improvements in centrifugal machinery, with a
view to facilitate the charging of such machinery with and the delivery of the
sugar or substances without stopping. Heretofore this class of machinery
has for the most part been constructed in such manner as to require to be
stopped during the time of charging and discharging the sugar or substances;
there have, however, been proposed means for discharging and charging such
machinery when in motion by apparatus on the interior of such machines.
Now, the improvements consist of constructing the revolving cylinder or
vessels of a centrifugal machine in such manner that it may be caused to
open when the process is complete, and that the continued rotation shall
be the micans of throwing out the charge; and when the cylinder or vessel is
again closed, it shall be in a condition to receive a fresh charge. The arrange-
ment for opening the centrifugal cylinder or vessel may be varied. A very con-
venient construction is to have the centrifugal vessel made up of parts capable
of opening outwards, but forming a complete vessel when closed; or the vessel
may be made with inclined sides, or so as to separate from the lower parts,
and thus leave an opening all round, or for the most part, through which the
charge may be thrown out by the continued centrifugal force of the machine.
This opening at the circumference is the essential feature of the Invention;
but machinery can be made to open at the circumference in a variety of ways,
differing only in the mechanical details; and I have in the accompanying
Drawing shown two different methods of carrying out the Invention. A
diagram of one form is shown at Figure 4, E, where the revolving vessel is in
the form of a frustrum of a cone, open at the top and bottom. The cone can
be raised on the shaft from the bottom, which is fixed on the shaft, so as to
leave an open space all round for the escape of the sugar, as shown by the red
lines at F, Figure 5, as soon as the vessel is raised by the lever, shewn at
Figure 5; or it may be raised by any other suitable means, and the sugar will
escape on the raising; for it will be evident that it will not remain in the vessel
in consequence of the inclination of the sides.
In Figure 1, A is a vertical section; B is a side elevation; Figure 2, C is
an end elevation; and Figure 3, D is a section, of another form of machine.
This is a double machine with a horizontal axis; the machine may, however,
be placed with the axis upright. On the axis d, d, the disk a, a, is keyed.
The wire cloth or perforated metal, forming the cylindrical circumference of

page_text: the machine, is not continued in one piece round the whole circumference of
the machine, but is divided into a number of pieces o*, o*, corresponding
with the shafts o, o, Figure B. The segments of wire cloth, properly
strengthened and supported, are rivetted to those shafts, so as to turn with
them. The shafts pass through the disk a, a, and have on their ends cranks
P, p, Figures B and C; short connecting rods q, q, Figures B and C, connect
those cranks with the break wheel b, b, Figures A, B, and C, to an extent
determined by the length of the slot e, f, Figure C. c is a stud, fastened to
the disk a, a, Figures A, B, and C, and as soon as the wheel b, b, Figures A,
B, and C, has moved, so that the end of the slot f is against the stud e, the
following changes will have taken place: the crank h, i, Figure C, will have
assumed the position shown by the line h, m; the connecting rod k, t, that
of m, n; the dotted line h, g, (showing the position of a segment of the per-
forated surface of the cylinder,) will have assumed the position shown by the
red line h, t. The action of the machine then is this: when the break wheel
b, b, is in the position shown in the Drawing, that is, the end of the slot at e
bearing against the stud c, the segment of the circumference g, h, Figure C,
will be in a position to form with the other segments a continuous cylindrical
surface, represented in the diagram D by u, w, v; but when the break strap S,
Figure B. is brought to bear tightly on the wheel while the machine is in
motion, it will retard the motion of the wheel, so that the end of the slot f will
bear against the stud c. This change in the position of the break wheel will
bring about movements in the connecting rods q, q, Figure C and B, in the
cranks p, p, Figures B and C, in the shafts o, o, Figure B, and in the segments
ox, ox, of wire cloth (g, h, Figure C). The position of the segments will be
seen at u, x, v, Figure B. The centrifugal force of the segments of wire cloth
cranks and connecting rods will all tend while the machine is in motion to
keep the segments in the position to form a continuous cylindrical surface,
but when the break is applied to the wheel the segments will open, as shewn
at u, x, v, Figure D. On relieving the break wheel, the segments will
immediately resume the position u, w, v. The sugar is thrown into the
machine while it revolves; a few seconds suffice to clear the molasses out, and
to clean and whiten the crystals, by throwing a little water on the sugar. The
sugar as it escapes from the machine is received in a strong case surrounding
the machine. The molasses is directed by a light inner case into a cistern;
this light case swings out on a hinge when the sugar is to be allowed to
escape.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention, and the manner of per-
forming the same, I would have it understood that I do not confine myself to

page_text: the details, as the same may be varied without departing from my Invention;
and I would have it understood that what I claim is, the constructing centri-
fugal machines in such manner that they may open at the circumference and
throw the sugar or matters therefrom.
In witness whereof, I, the said Daniel Towers Shears, have hereunto set
my hand and seal, this Thirtieth day of December, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and fifty-four.
Witness,
WILLIAM SHEARS.
D. T. SHEARS. (L.B.)