IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CRUSHING AND PULVERIZING
Year: 1869

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Robert Foster, of Liscard, in the County of
Chester, Cement Manufacturer, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS
IN MACHINERY FOR CRUSHING AND PULVERIZING."
Sealed the 22nd October 1869, and dated the 24th April 1869.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Robert Foster at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
24th April 1869.
I, ROBERT FOSTER, of Liscard, in the County of Chester, Cement
Manufacturer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CRUSHING AND PULVERIZING," to be as
follows:-
The object of my Invention is to provide machinery by which the
operations of crushing and pulverizing limestone in the manufacture of
cement, and crushing and pulverizing mineral and hard substances
generally, can be performed in less time and at less cost than hitherto.
For these purposes certain novel and useful combinations and con-

page_text: struction of machines or machinery have been devised, which for
convenience I will hereafter describe under two heads.
First. Of the Machinery for Crushing or Reducing the Mineral or other
Substance to Coarse Powder.-This consists in the employment of edge
runners and a pan, or of plain, fluted, or roughened rolls, or of a roll
and stationary plate, or of stampers, or of squeezers, or of any one or
more of these, of any convenient construction working in combination
or in a conjoined operation with the novel mechanism described under
the herein-after described second head. The substance or material to
be ground may be supplied to the said crushing mechanism either in
a dry or wet state, in air or water. When edge runners are used, and
these are used by preference, either driven from the same spindle as
the pulverizing mechanism or separately, I prefer to crush the substance
in water contained in the pan and to supply the crushed material
together with the water to the pulverizing machinery.
Second. Of the Machinery for Pulverizing the Crushed Substance or
Material. By pulverizing I mean reducing in water or other liquid the
crushed substance to a minute state of division. For this purpose I
secure to a solid foundation a vessel of any convenient shape, and in
or through the said vessel I support or carry a vertical or nearly vertical
spindle capable of being rotated by power applied thereto. To the said
spindle one, two, or more, usually four, cross arms are secured. These
arms are cach fitted with a silicious stone and an agitating and guiding
board or boards; the former, that is to say, the silicious stones, are
bevelled off at their leading edges and by travelling over the surface
of a ring or annulus of silicious stone fitted in the bottom of the said
vessel serve to finely pulverize the substance undergoing treatment, and
the latter, that is to say, the board or boards, serve to guide the still
coarse substance between the pulverizing stones, and at the same time
keep the finest divided portion floating near the top of the liquid.
Over the top of the said vessel fine wire gauze screens are fitted, and
through these the milk-like ground substance is caused to rise upwards;
revolving brushes, also connected to the cross arms, are employed to
keep the meshes open. The pulverized milky product after passing
upward through the screens is led away to settling tanks.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Robert Foster in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 23rd October 1869.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ROBERT
FOSTER, of Liscard, in the County of Chester, Cement Manufacturer,
send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her
Letters Patent, bearing date the Twenty-fourth day of April, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine, in the thirty-
second year of Ier reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Robert Foster, Her special license that
I, the said Robert Foster, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or
such others as I, the said Robert Foster, 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 "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR CRUSHING AND
PULVERIZING," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Robert Foster, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should
particularly describe and ascertain the nature of tho 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.,
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Robert Foster, do hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement, reference being had to the Sheet of illustrative
Drawings appended hereto, and to the figures and letters marked
thercon, that is to say:-
The object of my Invention is to provide machinery by which the
operations of crushing and pulverising limestone in the manufacture of
cement, and crushing and pulverizing mineral and hard substances...

page_text: generally, can be performed in less time and at less cost than hitherto.
For these purposes certain novel and useful combinations and con-
structions of machines or machinery have been devised, which for
convenience I will hereafter describe under two heads.
First. Of the Machinery for Crushing or Reducing the Mineral or other
Substance to coarse Powder.-This consists in the employment of edge
runners and a pan, or of plain, fluted, or roughened rolls, or of a roll
and stationary plate, or of stampers, or of sneezers, or of any one or
more of these, of any convenient construction working in combination
or in a conjoined operation with the novel mechanism described under
the herein-after described second head. The substance or material to
be ground may be supplied to the said crushing mechanism either in
a dry or wet state. When edge runners are used, and these are used
by preference, either driven from the same spindle as the pulverizing
mechanism or separately, I prefer to crush the substance in water con-
tained in the pan, and to supply the crushed material together with the
water to the pulverizing machinery.
Second. Of the Machinery for Pulverizing the Crushed Substance or
Material. By pulverizing I mean reducing in water or other liquid the
crushed substance to a minute state of division. For this purpose I
secure to a solid foundation a vessel of any convenient shape, and in or
through the said vessel I support or carry a vertical or nearly vertical
spindle capable of being rotated by power applied thereto. To the said
spindle one, two, or more, usually four, cross arms are secured. These
arms are each fitted with a silicious stone and an agitating and guiding
board or boards; the former, that is to say, the silicious stones, are
bevelled off at their leading edges, and by travelling over the surface
of a ring or annulus of silicious stone fitted in the bottom of the said
vessel serve to finely pulverize the substance under treatment, and the
latter, that is to say, the board or boards, serve to guide the still coarse
substance between the pulverizing stones, and at the same time keep
the finest divided portion floating near the top of the liquid. Over
the top of the said vessel fine wire gauze screens are fitted, and
through these the milk-like ground substance is caused to rise upwards;
revolving brushes, also connected to the cross arms, are employed to
keep the meshes open. The pulverized milky product, after passing
upwards through the screens, is led away to settling tanks.

page_text: That others may be enabled to construct and carry machinery com-
bined and arranged in accordance with my Invention I have fully
delineated on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings a modification
specially adapted for use in the manufacture of Portland cement,
whiting, and like substances which require to be finely divided.
That others may be enabled to construct and carry macmuery com-
bined and arranged in accordance with my Invention I have fully
delineated on the accompanying Sheet of Drawings a modification
specially adapted for use in the manufacture of Portland cement,
whiting, and like substances which require to be finely divided.
Edge runners are shewn as to the crushing agents, and they are placed
over and partly within the pulverizing machinery, and arranged to
operate in immediate combination therewith.
Fig. 1 is a transverse section; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section; and
Fig. 3, a plan. Like letters denote the same parts in all the views.
a, a', represent portions of the floor of a building; b, driving shaft
and gear; c, vertical spindle supported in a footstep at d and steadied
in a bearing e secured to the transome f; g, driving box secured to
the vertical spindle c; h, central standard; i, stationary pan of edge
runners. From the driving box g the carrying cross arms j radiate;
two of these serve as spindles for the edge runners which are free to
rotate. I, pulverizing vessel; m, annulus or bed of silicious or hard
stone or hard material. In the manufactures specifically mentioned
above this is used perfectly smooth on its grinding surfaces, but it can be
dressed with grooves or furrows if found requisite. u, travelling pul-
verizers, four are shown, connected by drag chains o to the arms j.
These pulverizers are preferably made of French Buhr or other hard
stone, but other hard substances can be used, and they are bevelled off
at their leading edges so as the more readily to allow the particles of
the substance being reduced to pass between the acting faces of n and m.
p, agitating boards or bars secured to the radial arms j by pins or
otherwise; these serve to direct the coarser particles into position to be
caught between n and m and to keep the most finely divided portion
floating near the surface of the water. q, seives or screens of wire gauze
or other suitable material secured in or to framework. When wire
gauze is used I prefer a texture with 2,500 meshes in every inch
area. r, bushes secured to the radial arms j and rotating therewith
so as to prevent the inner surfaces of the seives or screens from
becoming choked; 8, channel to convey the pulverized milk-like
mixture to a vessel fitted with a revolving or other agitator, thence to

page_text: And, fifth. The general arrangement and combination of the whole of
the parts, as illustrated on the Drawings.
In witness whereof, I, the said Robert Foster, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty-first day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty-nine.
In the presence of
ROB. Moss.
ROBERT FOSTER. (L.S.)