IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING STARCH
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, of the Firm of Harris
and Mills, of 23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent
Agent, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING
STARCH." A communication from abroad by Wilhelm Angele, Civil
Engineer and Manufacturer, of the City of Berlin, in the Kingdom of
Prussia and Empire of Germany.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard
Mills at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 22nd November
1880.
BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and Mills, of
23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING STARCH." A communication from
abroad by Wilhelm Angele, Civil Engineer and Manufacturer, of the City of
Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of Germany.
The Invention relates to improvements on that part of the machinery or
apparatus of a starch factory which is employed for drying the starch, and its
object is to produce an apparatus which carries out this process in a much shorter
time than it was possible to do with the apparatus known and used untill to day,
which occupies a smaller space in proportion to the finished product, which
furnishes a better product, and which is very simple and inexpensive.
For this purpose the lumps of damp starch are crushed into small pieces by a
dredging mill, and forced by a stirrer through meshes of the sieve bottom of the
mill regularly upon the first apron of the drying machine proper. This machine is
composed of a number of travelling endless aprons arranged in a frame one above
the other, and in such manner that the working parts of the single aprons travel in
different directions. When the starch strewn upon the top apron has made its
way it falls down upon the next lower apron, by which it is carried along in a
direction opposite to that of the first apron and delivered to the next lower apron,
and so on till the lowest apron delivers the dried hot starch into a conveyer, and
by that to the cooling and mixing machine.

page_text: Each apron is an endless band of canvass, strong linen, or other suitable material
of convenient width running over two rollers revolving in bearings of the frame,
and receiving from these rollers which revolve in the same direction its motion.
Immediately below the upper part of each apron, and between it and the lower
part, are arranged a number of heating boxes or chambers of iron, copper, or any
suitable material, heated by steam from a boiler, or by the waste steam of an engine.
Suitably arranged pipes with stop cocks, safety devices, and switches are provided
to carry the steam to the several rows of steam boxes; also drain pipes to draw off
the condensed water. The frame consists of a trestlework for the support of the
steam boxes and the piping, and of two end roller supports, one on each end of the
machine. One of these roller supports is rigidly attached to and connected with
the frame, the other is adjustable so as to allow a tightening of the aprons when
necessary. The rollers arranged one above the other in a zigzag order are geared
each to the next above by spur wheels, or by other equivalent means. By these
means each next following roller revolves in a direction reversed to that of the
previous one. The shaft which gives motion to the drying machine is connected to
the two rollers of one apron at both roller-supports by equal gear wheels in such a
way that these two rollers revolve in the same direction, and that all the other
rollers and the aprons are caused to work in the required manner.
The dried but still hot starch falling from the lowest apron upon a conveyer is
delivered by it to a mixing and cooling machine, the construction of which is not
an object of the present Invention.
The great advantages of the construction and action of this drying apparatus
are the facility with which the starch broken up into small particles by the
dredging mill, shaken to and fro by the motion of the aprons all the time of its
lying on them, and tumbled over and upset in falling from one apron down to the
next lower one, gives up the water contained in it, and becomes dried. Besides,
the new apparatus works continuously, finishes in a very short time a considerable
amount of starch, occupies a very small space, and is very simple in construction,
therefore it is not expensive, and does not easily get out of order.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 20th May 1881.
BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS, of the Firm of Harris and Mills, of
23, Southampton Buildings, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent.
" IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR DRYING STARCH." A communication from
abroad by Wilhelm Augele, Civil Engineer and Manufacturer, of the City of
Berlin, in the Kingdom of Prussia and Empire of Germany.
The Invention relates to improvements on that part of the machinery or
apparatus of a starch factory which is employed for drying the starch, and its
object is to produce an apparatus which carries out this process in a much shorter
time than it was possible to do with the apparatus known and used until to-day,
which occupies in proportion to the finished product a smaller space, which furnishes
a better product, and which is very simple and inexpensive.
And in order that the said Invention may be more clearly understood and readily
carried into effect, I will proceed, aided by the accompanying Drawings, more fully
to describe the same.
In which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.
Figure 1 represents a vertical side elevation.
Figure 2, a rear elevation; and
Figure 3, a plan of machinery or apparatus constructed according to the said
Invention.
The lumps of damp starch are crushed into small pieces by a dredging mill A, and
forced by a stirrer through the meshes of the sieve bottom of the mill regularly
upon the first apron a of the drying machine proper B. This machine B is
composed of a number of travelling endless aprons a to a¹8, arranged in a frame b
one above the other, and in such manner that the working parts of the single aprons
travel in different directions. When the starch strewn upon the top apron a has
made its way it falls down upon the next lower apron a', by which it is carried
along in a direction opposite to that of the first apron and delivered to the next
lower apron a², and so on till the lowest apron a¹s delivers the dried hot starch to a
conveyer C, and by that to the cooling and mixing machine D. Each apron a
to al is an endless band of canvas, strong linen, or other suitable material of
convenient width, running over two rollers c revolving in bearings g of the
frame b, and receiving from these rollers c, which revolve in the same direction, its
motion.
Immediately below the upper part of each apron, and between it and the lower
part, are arranged a number of heating boxes or chambers d, of iron, copper, or any
other suitable material, heated by steam from a boiler or by the waste steam of an
engine. Suitably arranged pipes e, with stop cocks f, safety devices a, and switches,
are provided to carry the steam to the several rows of steam boxes d, also drain
pipes i to draw off the condensed water. The frame b consists of a trestlework for
the support of the steam boxes d and the piping e, and of two end roller
supports j,j, one on each end of the machine. One of these roller supports jis
rigidly attached to and connected with the frame e; the other j¹ is adjustable so as
to allow a tightening of the aprons when necessary. The rollers c, arranged one
above the other in a zigzag order, are geared each to the next above by spur
wheels k or by other equivalent means. By these means each next following roller

page_text: revolves in a direection reversed to that of the previous one.
The shaft which
gives motion to the drying machine is connected to the two rollers of one apron at
both roller supports by equal gear wheels m in such way that these two rollers
revolve in the same direction, and that all the other rollers and the aprons are
caused to work in the required manner.
The dried but still hot starch falling from the lowest apron a¹8 upon a conveyer C
is delivered by it to a mixing and cooling machine D, the construction of which is
not an object of the present Invention.
The great advantages of the construction and action of this drying apparatus
are the facility with which the starch, broken up into small particles by the
dredging mill A, shaken to and fro by the motion of the aprons a all the time of
its lying on them, and tumbled over and upset in falling from one apron a down to
the next lower one a¹, and so on to a¹8, gives up the water contained in it and
becomes dried. Besides, the new apparatus works continuously, finishes in a very
short time a considerable amount of starch, occupies a very small space, and is very
simple in construction, therefore being not expensive and does not easily get out of
order.
I would here remark that the number of aprons is not confined to 19, as
represented in the Drawings, but that a larger or smaller number of these aprons
may be employed according to the size of the machine, which depends again on
the quantity of starch desired to be dried in a given time. The apparatus may be
employed to dry starch made in any manner and from any materials.
Having thus described the nature of the said Invention, and the mode in which
the same may be carried into effect, I would have it understood that what I claim
is,-
First. A machine for drying starch, consisting of a number of endless aprons a
to a 18, each travelling in a direction opposite to that of the one next above or
next below it, in combination with a number of heating steam boxes or
chambers & situated under the upper part of each apron, all arranged in a suitable
frame and driven and heated by the devices and in the manner herein shown and
described.
Second. In a machine for drying starch, the aprons a driven by the rollers C, the
gearing k, and the driving shaft l, with the bevel gearing m, in combination with
the steam heated boxes or chambers d, for the purpose explained and substantially
as herein shown and described.
Third. The starch drying apparatus, consisting of the machine B, as herein
shown and described, in combination with a dredging mill A, a carrier or conveyer c,
and a mixing and cooling machine D, which latter three machines may be of any
suitable construction.
Fourth. In a starch drying machine B, constructed as herein shown and described,
the arrangement of steam pipes and chambers provided with the necessary branches,
cocks f, safety devices h, and drain pipes i, substantially as herein shown and
described and for the purpose stated.
In witness whereof, I, the said Benjamin Joseph Barnard Mills, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Seventeenth day of May, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty one