Improvements in Machines for Slicing or Cutting Sugar-cane, Beet- root, and the like.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 15th Jan., 1889
Specification Accepted, 16th Mar., 1889
Improvements in Machines for Slicing or Cutting Sugar-cane, Beet-
root, and the like.
We, JULIUS HORNUNG, and CARL RABE, both of Sangerhausen, in the Kingdom of
Prussia and German Empire Manufacturers, 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:—
Our invention relates to an improved slicing machine intended for use in cutting up
or paring sugar-cane, beet-root and the like, and the object of our said invention is to
so construct such machine that the fibres of the sliced or pared sugar-cane or other
material are prevented from sticking or collecting in the open longitudinal space in
front of the cutting edge of the paring knife, a difficulty constantly experienced in
the use of machines of this class as heretoforo constructed where the said spaces
between the cutting edges of the blades or knives and their opposite counter-pieces
are obstructed after a short time by the collecting and adhering fibres so that it
becomes necessary from time to time to stop the machine and to clean the said spaces
by removing therefrom the obstructing fibrous inass.
Our present invention is intended to obviate such difficulty, and thus to increase the
efficiency of the machine and save time and labour, by means of the novel con-
struction, arrangement and combination of the cutter disc and cutter box as illustrated
in the accompanying drawings, in which
Figure 1 is a transverse vertical section of our improved slicing machine.
Figure 2 is a front elevation, and
Figure 3 is a top view thereof.
Figure 4 represents a vertical transverse section on the line ¹¹, Figure 5, of the
improved cutter disc and one of the removable cutter boxes inserted therein and
carrying the adjustable cutter blades or knives.
Figure 5 is a top view of part of the said cutter disc showing the circumferential
openings for the insertion of the said removable cutter boxes.
Figure 6 is a top view of one of the said cutter boxes drawn to an enlarged scale,
the cutter-blade and its counter-piece being removed.

page_text: Figure 7 is a vertical longitudinal section of the same on the line 2, z, Figure 6.
Figure 8 is a vertical transverse section on the line y, y, Figure 6, showing the said
cutter box in position in the said cutter disc, and
Figure 9 is a similar view on the line x, x, Figure 6, the cutter blade or knife and
its counter-piece being inserted and fixed in position.
b indicates the frame of the machine in which the vertical shaft a is suitably
journalled, rotary motion being imparted to the latter by means of the bevel gears c c¹
rotated by belt and pulley a' on shaft a² of bevelled pinion c.
Upon the said framo bis mounted a receptacle d preferably of cast or wrought
iron, which is provided with an outlet opening and a hopper g communicating with
the latter. The receptacle d is provided with a cover d' having rectangular openings
for the inclined boxes i which are fastened upon and pass through the said cover d'.
The inclined boxes i are open both at their upper and lower ends and serve for
the reception of the sugar canes u, or other material to be pared, coming to rost
upon and in contact with the cutter disc e fixed upon the said shaft a near its upper
end and rotating therewith.
The cutter disce has a suitable number of circumferential openings e³ as shown
in Figure 5, each serving for the reception of a cutter-box which may readily
beinserted therein from above through a suitable opening in the cover d¹
normally closed by the pivoted lid or cover e², Figure 3. The said openings are
confined laterally on three sides by the iron or other material of which the cutter
disc e is formed, and are open on the fourth side at or near the circumference of the
said cutter disc. In conformity with such construction of the cutter disc the cutter
boxes are likewise closed laterally on three sides and open on the fourth side, and
they are inserted into the said openings ea so that the open sides of both will
coincide. Near the inner end opposite to the open side, the cutter hox is pro-
vided on its lower surface with a short projecting dovetail which allows of being
pushed into a correspondingly shaped groove in the cutter disc e when a hook-like
projection forming the inner end of the cutter-box, will catch over and, under the
action of the centrifugal force, bear firmly against the inner surface of a projecting
rib on the disc e and thus prevent the box h from being flung out of the said disc.
when in rotation.
The cutter box when inserted in the opening e³ of the cutter disc e rests upon
projecting flanges e* forming part of the latter (Figure 9) and the removable cutter
blade o is secured to the said cutter box in the usual manner by screws o¹, as shown.
The letter p indicates the adjustable counter-piece for the cutter blade or knife o,
said counter-piece pormitting of being raised or lowered as usual by turning the
set-screw m, whilst the distance between the sharp edge of the cutter o and its
opposed counter-piece p allows of being reduced or widened in the usual and well-
known manner by suitable set screws, as at m², passing with sufficient play through
openings n in the cutter box.
The sugar canes u are placed in the inclined boxes i as indicated in Figure 1 and
rotary motion is imparted to the cutter disc e as heretofore described, which will
cause the cutters o to pare from the lower ends of the canes u elliptical slices u¹ of
the form shown in Figure 1.
The cutter disc e is formed with a circular horizontal central portion reinforced by
ribs l¹ and surrounded by a circular rib c* beyond which the said disc terminates in
horizontal peripheral upper portion divided by the openings e³, and in a slanting or
inclined periphoral lower portion e¹ formed on its upper surface with a series of
radial triangular ribs supporting the said peripheral upper portion of the disc e and
radiating from the said annular rib c*, as shown.
The slices or parings u¹ cut from the sugar-canes as set forth, fall partly upon the
slanting portion e¹ and thence upon the bottom of the receptacle d and partly
directly upon the said bottom and are swept automatically out of the receptacle d into
the hopper 9 by means of a sweeping device consisting of the blades f**attached to
a sleeve loosely mounted upon the vertical driving shaft a, the said sweeping
blades f¹ being rotated with lower speed than the said shaft and the cutter disc e

page_text: fastened thereto, by means of the pinions ff, of different diameters. Of
these gears, the small pinion fis rigidly attached to the shaft a and rotates the large
pinion on the secondary shaft which is thus caused to revolve with a lower circum-
ferential speed than the shaft a. The shaft carries another pinion f³ of small
diameter gearing with the large pinion on the sleeve of the sweeper f* by
which means the circumferential speed of the said sleeve will become still lower
than the speed of the shaft so that the said sweeper will be rotated with a speed
comparatively much lower than that with which the cutter disc a is revolved.
It will be seen from the foregoing description that our improved slicing machine
differs from those as heretofore constructed essentially by the novel arrangement of
the compartments formed by the ribs and I, the slanting portion and the
peripheral horizontal upper portion of the cutter disc e supported by the said ribs
and divided by the radial openings said compartments being open toward the
periphery of the said disc and thus allowing the slices cut by those parts of the
knives o overlying the said slanting portion, to slide uniformly into the receptacle d
below it, whilst tho said openings ♬ being cut away near the periphery of the disc
and having the cutter boxos likowise open at the periphery inserted therein, will
not permit of any fibres settling in front of the knives and obstructing the spaces
between the latter and their counter-pieces p since by reason of the new arrangement,
construction and combination of these parts as described, the said fibres pressed
constantly toward the periphery by the contrifugal force, will be flung out regularly
at the open ends of the said spaces thus leaving the lattor unobstructed and in per-
manent working order.
Baving now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what wo
claim is
First. In a slicing machine a cutter disc having an inclined peripheral portion e¹,
substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Second. In a slicing machine, a cutter disc having an inclined peripheral lower
portion e formed with vertical ribs supporting the horizontal upper peripheral
portion of the said disc, substantially as, and for the purpose specified.
Third. In a slicing machine a cutter disc having an inclined peripheral lower
portion and a horizontal upper peripheral portion supported by ribs on the said inclined
portion and divided by radial openings e intersecting the periphery of the said
upper portion, substantially as, and for the purpose specified.
Fourth. In a slicing machine the combination, with a cutter disc having its peri-
phery intersected by radial openings, of a cutter-box laterally open on one side,
substantially as and for the purposo specified.
Fifth. In a slicing machine the conibination, with a cutter disc having its periphery
intersected by radial openings e³ and provided with dove-tailed grooves in its annular
reinforcing rib c of the cutter box h open at its outer end and provided with the down-
wardly projecting dove-tail r and the hook-like tail-piece 2 substantially as, and for
the purpose specified.
Sixth. The improved slicing machine arranged and constructed substantially as,
and for the purpose specified.