Improved Process and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Kneaded or Agglomerated Soaps.
Year: 1890

page_text: Date of Application, 14th Feb., 1890
Complete Specification Left, 8th Oct., 1890-Accepted, 29th Nov., 1890
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improved Process and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Kneaded
or Agglomerated Soaps.
We, ANATOLE DES CRESSONNIÈRES, and ERNEST DES CRESSONNIÈRES, both of
82 Chaussée de Gand, Brussels, Belgium, do hereby declare the nature of this
invention to be as follows:-
The process at present employed for the manufacture of kneaded or agglomerated
soaps is a long and laborious one, and is consequently expensive both as regards the
requisite manual labour as also the expenditure of time and interest on capital
employed.
In order to clearly indicate the considerable advantages presented by our improved
process over the old method of manufacture, we will shortly enumerate the various
phases of the latter.
When the boiling of the properly proportioned constituents of the mass has been
carried out in the usual boilers, the homogeneous mixture is run out of the latter
into suitable refrigerating vessels where it is kept until it is completely hardened.
The mass is then cut up into slabs of uniform size and these are divided into bars,
which are then transformed into small shreds by suitable shredding apparatus.
The shreds resulting from this operation are introduced into drying apparatus
for removing the excess of moisture contained therein, and after having been dried
they are coloured and scented, and are then crushed or kneaded between iron or
granite cylinders in order to produce a perfect incorporation of the material with
the scent and the colour.
Lastly, the kneaded material is subjected to the action of presses from which it
issues in the form of a continuous compact rope which is cut into pieces of the
desired weight which are then pressed in moulds to convert them into cakes of the
required form.
These various operations, even when carried out under the most favourable circum-
stances, will, for a quantity of soap such as is usually operated upon at one time,
take from eight to twelve days, according to the time of year.
The improved process, which is a continuous one, has for its object to do away
with the refrigerating apparatus and consequently also, the hardening into blocks, the
cutting up of these, the shredding, the drying of the shreds and the necessary
apparatus for this purpose, as also the colouring and scenting while the soap is in a
dry condition, and lastly the necessary crushing before entering the pressing apparatus.
With the finer qualities, however, the scents of which might evaporate, the scenting
of the soap is not effected at the end of the process, and may necessitate a
supplementary kneading before the material is introduced into the presses.
The above results are obtained by a new method of manufacture which consists
essentially in causing the homogeneous mixture coming from the boiler to flow
into a suitable receptacle situated in the vicinity, where the requisite colours and
scents are added to the mass, and this is then made to flow between a series of hollow
cylinders, open at the ends, between which the soap hardens as it proceeds, forming
a thin sheet which is subjected alternately to cold and hot currents of air for removing
the excessive moisture and which passes eventually on to endless wire gauze travelling
webs on which the mass is subject to further drying, and from which it is fed directly
into the presses.
The essential part of the new process consists therefore in the employment of the
apparatus for laminating and incorporating the material, this being constructed in
any suitable manner, and of a treatment in any convenient way with combined cold
and hot air currents, the cold air serving only to render pasty and
the liquid
opaque
"

page_text: soap, without depriving it of the necessary heat for its rapid desiccation, while the hot
air retains the mass during the whole process at the required temperature for
accomplishing this end.
In order that our invention may be thoroughly understood, we will describe a
specially constructed apparatus for that purpose, which is shewn on the accompanying
drawing.
Fig. 1 shews a side elevation and Fig. 2 shews a front view.
D is a shoot from the tank containing the liquid soap, situated above, and which
is charged from the boiler by means of a pump or other suitable means. The shoot
is provided with a regulating valve V and opens between small distributing cylinders cc
revolving in contrary directions, towards each other. Against the lower sides of
these cylinders bear guide plates which have lips. also bearing against the surface
of the first cylinder C of the laminating apparatus.
This apparatus consists firstly of a series of cylinders arranged vertically above
each other and secondly, at the lower end, of several other cylinders arranged hori-
zontally, the framing B being for this purpose of angular form, the vertical part being
adapted to carry the four vertical cylinders, while the lower horizontal part carries
five. The cylinders might all be arranged vertically, but this would make the machine
of inconvenient height.
The upper cylinders C C are not placed exactly in the same vertical axis, but so
that their centres lie alternately slightly to the one and the other. side of this axis, so
that the points of contact of the cylinders also lie alternately to the one and the other
side thereof.
They are consequently rendered adjustable by lateral displacement, and for this purpose
the framing has horizontal guides in which are arranged sliding bearings P which
can be moved by means of screws V₁ actuated by bevil wheels E which constitute
nuts to the screws and which are actuated simultaneously by two bevil pinions p
fixed on one and the same shaft A carried in brackets on the framing, and rotated by
a hand wheel V2. The same arrangement is employed for adjusting the horizontal
cylinders:
The cylinders are rotated alternately in contrary directions at speeds which gradually
increase for each successive cylinder, that is to say, if the upper cylinder, for example,
makes four revolutions in a given time, the next one inakes five, the third six, and
so on, increasing one revolution for each cylinder. The cylinders are for this
purpose each driven separately by gearing E' of a diameter proportionate to the speed
required.
The driving shaft with fast and loose pullies P¹ imparts motion by pinion P2 to
the middle horizontal cylinder, and from this the motion is transmitted by the gearing E
to the other cylinders.
In addition to the pinion P2 the driving shaft carries a toothed wheel E2 corre-
sponding to the wheel E³ which drives the first endless wire gauze web T, from
which the lower endless webs T¹ T2 are driven by the intermediate wheels E EE.
In front of the last cylinder are two cutters which serve to cut into flakes the
sheets of laminated soap before arriving on the upper travelling web.
These cutters are not shewn on the drawing, being of well known construction.
The apparatus works continuously and the disengaging gear of the driving pullies
is connected to the regulating valve V so as to close this and stop the flow of soap
when the machine is stopped.
The operation of the machine will be readily understood from the above description.
The coloured and scented liquid mass descends in a thin sheet between the distributing
cylinders ce from which it passes to the laminating cylinders.
The machine being situated in a chamber the temperature of which can be regulated
at will, and which may even be supplied with strata of air of different temperatures
by means of fans or other suitable blowing or suction apparatus, as may be required,
the mass can be made to solidify into a sheet at any desired point of its transit.
The sheet is deprived of its moisture during its travel in passing through strata of
air at the requisite temperature for this purpose and can thus be delivered from the
☐

page_text: last endless web in exactly the same condition as the soap delivered from the
crushing rollers in the old method of treatment, but instead of requiring from 8
to 12 days for arriving at this stage when treating about 3000 kilos. of soap, the same
quantity can be brought to the same condition in about 5 or 6 hours by the improved
process.
In order still further to facilitate the desiccation, and also for preventing streaki-
ness or want of uniformity in the coloration of the mass, the cylinders, or one or more
thereof, may have a longitudinal to and fro motion imparted to them whereby the
surface of the sheet of soap passing between them will be roughened or furrowed,
thereby both breaking up any streaks, and facilitating the evaporation of the
moisture. This movement may be imparted to the cylinders by means of cam grooves
on their shafts, returning into themselves, and into which take fixed studs on the
supports.
This arrangement, being well known, is also not shewn on the drawing. The
direction of travel of the sheet of soap through the machine is indicated by a dotted
line X at Fig. 1.
It will be readily seen that the saving in labour, time, and interest on capital
afforded by the improved process is very great, and that the invention is consequently
of considerable commercial importance.
The improved process can be equally advantageously applied to the process of
manufacture known as "remelters" as it enables this process to be carried on without
any loss, and preserves in the finished cakes the original appearance and form,
without change.
Dated thi. 14th dam of Wah 1000
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improved Process and Apparatus for the Manufacture of Kneaded
or Agglomerated Soaps.
.
We, ANATOLE DES CRESSONNIÈRES and ERNEST DES CRESSONNIÈRES, both of
82 Chaussée de Grand, Brussels, Belgium, 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 :—
The process at present employed for the manufacture of kneaded or agglomerated
soaps is a long and laborious one, and is consequently expensive both as regards
the requisite manual labour as also the expenditure of time and interest on capital
employed.
In order to clearly indicate the considerable advantages presented by our improved
process over the old method of manufacture, we will shortly enumerate the various
phases of the latter.
When the boiling of the properly proportioned constituents of the mass has been
carried out in the usual boilers, the homogenous mixture is run out of the latter into
suitable refrigerating vessels where it is kept until it is completely hardened. The
mass is then cut up into slabs of uniform size and these are .divided into bars,
which are then transformed into sinall shreds by suitable shredding apparatus.
The shreds resulting from this operation are introduced into drying apparatus.for
removing the excess of moisture contained therein, and after having been dried they
are coloured and scented, and are then crushed or kneaded between iron or granite
cylinders in order to produce a perfect incorporation of the material with the scent
and the colour..
Lastly the kneaded material is subjected to the action of presses from which it
issues in the form of a continuous compact column, which is cut into pieces of the
desired weight which are then pressed in moulds to convert them into cakes of the
required form.

page_text: "
These various operations, even when carried out under the most favourable circum-
stances will; for a quantity of soap such as is usually operated upon at one time, take
from eight to twelve days, according to the time of year.
The improved process, which is a continuous one, has for its object to do away with
the refrigerating apparatus and consequently also, the hardening into blocks, the
cutting up of these, the shredding, the drying of the shreds and the necessary apparatus
for this purpose, as also the colouring and scenting while the soap is in a dry condition,
and lastly the necessary crushing before entering the pressing apparatus. With
the finer qualities, however, the scents of which might evaporate, the scenting of the
soap is not effected at the end of the process, and may necessitate a supplementary
kneading before the material is introduced into the presses.
The above results are obtained by a new method of manufacture which consists
essentially in causing the homogenous mixture coming from the boiler to flow into a
suitable receptacle situated in the vicinity, where the requisite colours and scents are
added to the mass, and this is then made to flow between a series of hollow cylinders,
open at the ends, between which the soap hardens as it proceeds forming a thin sheet
which is subjected alternately to cold and hot currents of air for removing the exces-
sive moisture and which passes eventually on to endless wire gauze travelling webs
on which the mass is subject to further drying, and from which it is fed directly into
the presses.
.
The essential part of the new process consists therefore in the employment of the
apparatus for laminating and incorporating the material, this being constructed in any
suitable manner, and of a treatment in any convenient way with combined cold and
hot air currents, the cold air serving only to render pasty and opaque the liquid soap,
without depriving it of the necessary heat for its rapid desiccation, while the hot air
retains the mass during the whole process at the required temperature for accomplishing
this end.
In order that our invention may be thoroughly understood, we will describe a
specially constructed apparatus for that purpose which is shewn on the drawings
accompanying my Provisional Specification.
Fig. 1 shews a side elevation and Fig. 2 shews a front view.
The shoot
D is a shoot from the tank containing the liquid soap, situated above, which is
charged from the boiler by means of a pump or other suitable means.
is provided with a regulating valve V and opens between small distributing
cylinders c c revolving in contrary directions, towards each other. Against the lower
sides of these cylinders bear guide plates which have lips also bearing against
the surface of the first cylinder C of the laminating apparatus.
This apparatus consists firstly of a series of cylinders arranged vertically above
each other and secondly, at the lower end of several other cylinders arranged
horizontally, the framing B being for this purpose of angular form, the vertical
part being adapted to carry four vertical cylinders while the lower horizontal part
carries five. The cylinders might all be arranged vertically, but this would make the
machine of inconvenient height.
The upper cylinders C C are not placed exactly in the same vertical axis, but
so. that their, centres lie alternately slightly to the one and the other side of this axis
so that the points of contact of the cylinders also lie alternately to the one and the
other side thereof.
They are consequently rendered adjustable by lateral displacement, and for this
purpose the framing has horizontal guides in which are arranged sliding bearings P
which can be moved by means of screws V₁ actuated by bevil wheels E which con-
stitute nuts to the screws and which are actuated simultaneously by two bevil pinions p
fixed on one and the same shaft A carried in brackets on the framing and
rotated by a hand wheel V. The same arrangement is employed for adjusting the
horizontal cylinders.
The cylinders are rotated alternately in contrary directions at speeds which
gradually increase for each successive cylinder, that is to say, if the upper cylinder,
for example, makes four revolutions in a given time, the next one makes five, the third

page_text: six, and so on, increasing one revolution for each cylinder. The cylinders are for this
purpose each driven separately by gearing E' of a diameter proportionate to the speed
required.
The driving shaft with fast and loose pullies P₁ imparts motion by pinion P
to the middle horizontal cylinder, and from this the motion is transmitted by the
gearing E to the other cylinders.
In addition to the pinion P2 the driving shaft carries a toothed wheel E'
corresponding to the wheel E³ which drives the first endless wire gauze web T,
from which the lower endless webs T¹ T2 are driven by the intermediate
wheels E E³. E*.
In front of the last cylinder are two cutters which serve to cut into flakes the
sheets of laminated soap before arriving on the upper travelling web.
These cutters are not shewn on the drawing, being of well known construction.
The apparatus works continuously and the disengaging gear of the driving pullies
is connected to the regulating valve V so as to close this and stop the flow of soap
when the machine is stopped.
The operation of the machine will be readily understood from the above description.
The coloured and scented liquid mass descends in a thin sheet between the distri-
buting cylinders c c from which it passes to the laminating cylinders.
The machine being situated in a chamber the temperature of which can be regulated
at will, and which may even be supplied with strata of air of different temperatures by
means of fans or other suitable blowing or suction apparatus, as may be required,
the mass can be made to solidify into a sheet at any desired point of its transit.
The sheet is deprived of its moisture during its travel in passing through strata
of air at the requisite temperature for this purpose and can thus be delivered from the
last endless web in exactly the same condition as the soap delivered from the crushing
rollers in the old method of treatment, but instead of requiring from 6 to 12 days for
arriving at this stage when treating about 3,000 kilos. of soap, the same quantity can
be brought to the same condition in about 5 or 6 hours by the improved process.
In order still further to facilitate the disiccation, and also for preventing streakiness
or want of uniformity in the coloration of the mass, the cylinders, or one or more
thereof, may have a longitudinal to and fro motion imparted to them whereby the
surface of the sheet of soap passing between them will be roughened or furrowed,
thereby both breaking up any streaks, and facilitating the evaporation of the
moisture. This movement may be imparted to the cylinders by means of cam
grooves on their shafts, returning into themselves, and into which take fixed studs on
the supports.
This arrangement, being well known, is also not shewn on the drawing. The
direction of travel of the sheet of soap through the machine is indicated by a dotted
line X at Fig. 1.
It will be readily seen that the saving in labour, time, and interest on capital
afforded by the improved process is very great, and that the invention is conse-
quently of considerable commercial importance.
The improved process can be equally advantageously applied to the process of
manufacture known as "
"
remelters as it enables this process to be carried on
without any loss, and preserves in the finished cakes the original appearance and form,
without change.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is:--
1. A process for the manufacture of kneaded or agglomerated soaps wherein the
liquid soap, colored, and scented is made to flow upon a laminating apparatus arranged
in a chamber or passage in which currents of air are maintained at suitable tempera-
tures for causing the soap to solidify into a thin sheet during its passage between the
cylinders, and for depriving it of moisture, this sheet being farther desiccated on

page_text: endless travelling wire webs which convey it to the pressing apparatus without further
preparation, substantially as herein described.
2. For carrying out the process above referred to, the use of a laminating apparatus
having a series of hollow vertical and horizontal cylinders (, in combination with
endless travelling webs T T¹ T2 prolonging the exposure of the sheet of soap, the
cylinders having an axial reciprocating motion imparted to them, if required, for
exposing the surface and promote drying, substantially as described with reference to
the drawings.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicants.