Improvements in the Manufacture of Flake Mica for Boiler Coverings and other Uses.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application (in United Kingdom), 27th Aug., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 18th May, 1896-Accepted, 27th Aug.. 1896
Improvements in the Manufacture of Flake Mica for Boiler
Coverings and other Uses.
I, HENRY COLBECK MICHELL of No. 2 Bay Street, in the City of Toronto,
in the County of York, in the Province of Ontario, and Dominion of Canada,
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to the manufacture of flake mica for boiler coverings and
other uses and has for its object an improved process which will effectually separate
the lamina of refuse thick sheet mica blocks or crystals into flakes and it consists
essentially in the various steps of the process hereinafter described.
In carrying out my process I first introduce or feed the refuse of the heavy
sheet mica between one or more pairs of rollers (advantageously corrugated and
spring held together) the idea being to exert a great pressure upon the pieces so
as to cause their edges to open.
The mica in the refuse form is in small pieces or broken sheets of all shapes
and the effect of passing such broken pieces through the pairs of corrugated
rollers is to corrugate them and thereby separate the laminæ so that the edges are
quite open. After passing through the corrugated rollers they are advantageously
carried by suitable means into heating trays or otherwise suitably heated which
has the effect of opening the edges of the lamina of the pieces of mica still more.
They are then fed-in any suitable manner for instance by hand or automatically
on edge by suitable carriers-to the spout of a blast suitably created and the
effect of such blast (which is very strong) upon the edges of the pieces is to
entirely separate the laminæ into flakes. The refuse mica that is fed underneath
the spout of the blast is confined in a suitable chamber so as to prevent it being
blown around and when sufficient of the flakes are produced they are fed (in any
suitable manner for instance by hand or automatically) between pairs of corrugated
rollers very much finer than the preceding ones which has the effect of producing
corrugations in the flakes.
Thus the flakes when placed together in any suitable manner and corrugated will
increase the number of air spaces in the covering and reduce the amount of mica
required consequently adding in a great measure to the non-conductive properties
of the covering.
By the process such as I describe the pieces of refuse mica are very quickly
separated into flake form and may be utilised not only for coverings but numerous
other purposes.
Although I describe the mica as being heated before being carried from the
first pairs of corrugated rollers to the blast this might perhaps be dispensed with.

page_text: The producing of the corrugations by the final sets of rollers might also be
dispensed with.
Dated this 27th day of August 1895.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
Improvements in the Manufacture of Flake Mica for Boiler
Coverings and other Uses.
I, HENRY COLBECK MICHELL of No. 2 Bay Street, in the City of Toronto
in the County of York, in the Province of Ontario, and Dominion of Canada,
Manufacturer, 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 :-
My invention relates to the manufacture of flake mica for boiler coverings and
other uses and has for its object an improved process which will effectually separate
the laminæ of refuse thick sheet mica blocks or crystals into flakes and it consists
essentially in the various steps of the process hereinafter described.
In carrying out my process I first introduce or feed the refuse of the heavy
sheet mica between one or more pairs of rollers (advantageously corrugated and
spring held together) the idea being to exert a great pressure upon the pieces so
as to cause their edges to open.
The mica in the refuse form is in small pieces or broken sheets of all shapes
and the effect of passing such broken pieces through the pairs of corrugated
rollers is to corrugate them and thereby separate the lamina so that the edges are
quite open.
After passing through the corrugated rollers they are advantageously carried
by suitable means into heating trays or otherwise suitably heated which has the
effect of opening the edges of the lamina of the pieces of mica still more. They
are then fed-in any suitable manner for instance by hand or automatically on edge
by suitable carriers-to the spout or action of a blast suitably created and the
effect of such blast (which is very strong) upon the edges of the pieces is to
entirely separate the laminæ into flakes. The refuse mica that is fed underneath
the spout of the blast is confined in a suitable chamber so as to prevent it being
blown around and when sufficient of the flakes are produced they are fed (in any
suitable manner for instance by hand or automatically) between pairs of corrugated
rollers very much finer than the preceding ones which has the effect of producing
corrugations in the flakes.
Thus the flakes when placed together in any suitable manner and corrugated will
increase the number of air spaces in the covering and reduce the amount of mica
required consequently adding in a great measure to the non-conductive properties
of the covering.
By the process such as I describe the pieces of refuse mica are very quickly
separated into flake form and may be utilised not only for coverings but numerous
other purposes.
Although I describe the mica as being heated before being carried from the
first pairs of corrugated rollers to the blast this might perhaps be dispensed with.
The producing of the corrugations by the final sets of rollers might also be
dispensed with.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described method or process of reducing block mica crystals or
refuse sheets or pieces of mica into flake mica consisting in first opening the edges.
of the lamina of the pieces and then subjecting same edgewise to the action of a
blast as and for the purpose specified.
2. The herein described process of reducing refuse sheets or pieces of mica into.
flake mica consisting in first corrugating the refuse sheet mica and then subjecting
same edgewise to the action of a blast as and for the purpose specified.
3. The herein described process of reducing refuse sheets or pieces of mica into
flake mica consisting in first corrugating the refuse sheet mica next in applying
heat to such refuse sheets or pieces of mica and then subjecting same edgewise to
the action of a blast as and for the purpose specified.
4. The herein described process consisting in first corrugating the refuse sheet
mica then passing it edgewise beneath a blast and finally corrugating the flakes as
and for the purpose specified.
5. As a new article of manufacture flake mica reduced into corrugated form as
and for the purpose specified.
D11
1
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.
TONGUE & BIRKBECK,
Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, London, W.C.,
Agents for the Applicant.