Improvements in and relating to the Construction of Feed and Pressure Rollers for Holding and Carrying Material in Planing and other Wood Cutting Machines, and in Cotton, Wool, and Rag Pickers, and similar Machines.
Year: 1891

page_text: Date of Application, 8th Sept., 1891-Accepted, 28th Nov., 1891
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in and relating to the Construction of Feed and
Pressure Rollers for Holding and Carrying Material in Planing
and other Wood Cutting Machines, and in Cotton, Wool, and Rag
Pickers, and similar Machines.
I, BAXTER DODDRIDGE WHITNEY, a citizen of the United States of America,
residing at Winchendon in the County of Worcester and State of Massachusetts,
one of the United States of America, 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 construction of feed and pressure rollers for holding
and carrying material in planing and other wood cutting machines, cotton, wool, and
rag pickers, etc.
Its purpose is to distribute and equalize pressure upon different portions of
material of varying thickness or uneven surface so that all parts may be more
evenly pressed, firmly held, and steadily carried, than can be done by ordinary
rollers.
It consists in having the exterior shell or acting surface of the roller in rings
or comparatively short annular sections which are so mounted upon a shaft that
each section shall be capable of yielding independently thereon, while at the same
time it is revolved by a positive and direct connection from the shaft in whatover
position it may assume thereon and be brought to a correct position concentric to
its axis of rotation when not deflected by external force, all substantially as herein-
after described and claimed.
Figure 1 of the drawings is designed to represent the exterior of a roller as
acting upon pieces of unequal thickness.
Figure is an enlarged sectional view at right angles to the axis of rotation
showing one form of construction, with the exterior shell in its normal position
concentric to the axis of rotation.
Figure 3 represents the same with exterior shell deflected or thrown out of its
concentricity as by contact with material beneath it.
Figures 4 and 5, and likewise Figures 6 and 7 are views of sections corresponding
to those of Figures 2 and 3, each pair representing a modified form of internal
construction, but all of similar principle, action, and effect.
The form shown in Figures 2 and 3, being generally preferred to the others, I
will describe that first. Its central shaft which carries the other parts is designated
by A. As applied for use it is mounted in suitable journal bearings and properly
weighted to give requisite pressure for its work, and for feeding purposes it is made
to revolve in the direction indicated by the arrows, by any appropriate and well
known mechanism, which, being no part of my present invention, needs no specific
description.
The central shaft, A, has a series of projecting blades or carriers designated by
letters, C.
The annular sections or rings, B, of the shell are of somewhat larger internal
diameter than the diameter of the shaft, so that there may be sufficient space
between them and the shaft to permit the necessary deflection of the shell and each
section, B, having a series of internal chambers or pockets adapted to receive the
carriers, C, of the central shaft.
These carriers engage with the advance faces, b, of the chambers of the sections
and impart direct and positive motion to them. These chambers are adapted to
receive a series of springs, D, one end of each of which is seated in the rear
portion, b', of each chamber, while the opposite end bears against the rear side, c, of

page_text: the carrying blades, C. The action of the springs thus arranged is to bring the
whole force of all the springs to press the engaging faces of the carriers and sections
together and to hold the section to a position concentric to the central shaft, said
faces of the carriers serving as permanent stops for the sections when at a concentric
position.
When the force of the springs is overcome by external pressure on the sections
by contact with the feeding material, the sections will yield to an eccentric position,
as shown in Figure 3.
This eccentric movement causes the contact between the carriers and ring to be
broken except at the side of the ring moving towards the material upon which the
roll is acting, in which case the entire rotative force is concentrated and com-
municated to the ring at the point of positive contact of the carriers which is on
the side of the roller moving towards the material receiving its pressure, so that
this rotative force is utilized as a pressure force upon the lumber or material acted
upon, and the ring itself becomes a lever with its fulcrum bearing at such point
of positive contact with the carrier or carriers as in rotation come nearest the
radial plane of the roller parallel to the surface of the material acted upon. This
fulcrum hearing for instance, is indicated in Figure 3, at 63, it being the point
where a carrier is in bearing contact with the ring. Of course this point of contact
is constantly changing as the roll revolves.
The applied power of this lever being the combined strength of the compressed
springs which act with the more or less direct leverage due to their respective
positions, the leverage being in proportion to the distance the seats in the rings
for the several springs move, as compared to the vertical lift caused by the eccentric
movement of the ring at its point of bearing upon the lumber or material acted
проп. The combined strength of all the compressed springs acting with the
leverage due to their position, presses upon the work and makes a most complete
conservation of the moving force of the roll and the resilient energy of the several
springs to effect the purpose designed.
The modification represented by Figures 4, and 5, also 6 and 7, are in principle,
action, and effect, substantially the same as those shown in Figures 2 and 3.
The carrying faces of the shaft, A, in these modifications are arranged around
its circumference, the springs as indicated by reference letters, E, have the same
relative position to the annular sections or rings, B. They also act in the same
circumferential direction, (that is, they are compressed in the line of rotation,) or
the same as they do in Figures 2 and 3, but the springs instead of being spiral as
in Figures 2 and 3, are what may be called plate springs, and are preferably firmly
seated in the annular sections, but if desired, may be seated in the shaft instead,
and are of sufficient thickness near the section to withstand the driving force of
the carriers of the driving shaft, A, which engage with them and give motion to
the section.
The free end or resilient acting part of the spring is reduced to proper thickness
and may be made of either of the forms shown in Figures 4 and 5, or 6 and 7, or
any other form suitable to allow the section to yield eccentrically to pressure of
material of varying thickness in passing beneath it and to return the section to its
normal position when such pressure is removed.
This modification is especially desirable for feed rolls requiring very short
sections, as for cotton, wool and rag pickers, and sections as short as one-fourth or
even one-eighth of an inch can be made of this modification.
These very short sections serve to hold some kinds of material much better than
sections of greater length.
It may be observed as a distinctive feature of my invention that the action of
the springs is not radial whatever position the shell may be in relation to the central
driving shaft, but, circumferential, and in a direction opposite to the rotation of
the roll. The effect of this action of the springs in a direction opposite to that of
rotation is to force the engaging faces of the shaft and shell together at all times,
so that motion will be imparted from the shaft to the shell as uniform as that of

page_text: the central shaft itself. No part of the force of the springs being used to carry
the feeding material forward, and no spring or part of a spring acting in opposition
to any other spring, the whole spring force is utilized to hold the material firmly
in position to be acted upon.
Another feature worthy of notice is that the whole force of the springs acts to
press the engaging faces of the shaft and section together so as to give positive and
steady motion to the sections, and all are arranged in the same transverse radial
plane of the roll, each occupying comparatively little space lengthwise of the roll,
thereby making the use of very short sections practicable.
In practice, rolls having a series of eight or more carriers and springs is
conducive to uniformity of motion and preferable to a less number.
In rolls as heretofore made, either those having the springs intervene between
the driving faces of the shaft and shell or in those where the action of the springs
is merely radial and has no tendency to keep the engaging faces of shaft and shell
in contact, the motion of the shell will necessarily be uneven and remittent, which
is very detrimental to work requiring uniformity of feeding movement.
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. A surface yielding roller, composed of a central shaft having a series of
projecting blades or carriers engaging positively with and giving motion to an
exterior shell of annular sections or rings, in combination with a series of springs
seated at the rear of said blades.
2. A. surface yielding roller consisting of a central supporting shaft having a
series of projecting blades or carriers surrounded by a shell of annular sections or
rings, each of said sections containing a series of chambers having walls engaging
with and receiving motion from the advance faces of said carriers, said chambers
also containing a series of springs seated between the rear or reverse faces of said
blades or carriers and the rear walls of the chambers.
3. A surface yielding roller having annular sections, a central shaft, direct and
unyielding connection in one direction there-between, and springs to permit a
lateral yielding or deflection of one or more sections to external pressure, said
springs acting to bring the section to a bearing against said shaft connections,
which form permanent stops and hold the annular sections in a normal position, or
practically concentric to the axis of revolution when sufficiently relieved from
external pressure, substantially as set forth.
4. A surface yielding roller having an external shell of annular sections, a series
of blades or carriers projecting from a central shaft, said blades or carriers engaging
positively with said sections and having a fulcrum-contact on the driving faces
thereof during the deflection of the shell, and a series of springs each of which has
one end seated in the shell and the other end seated on that side of the carrier
opposite to that which touches and acts on the shell, said springs acting in a
direction contrary to that of rotation, substantially as described.
5. A surface yielding roll consisting of a central shaft having carriers with rigid
or unyielding surfaces engaging positively with and transmitting rotary motion to
a system of annular sections which surround the shaft and form the exterior face
of said roll, the sections of the system having corresponding surfaces engaging
with those of the carriers, a series of springs adapted to bring the section to a
bearing upon the said carrier surfaces or concentric to its axis of rotation, also to
allow a deflection from such concentric position by a forward movement of a portion
of the section or in the direction of its revolution and in that direction only.
6. A surface yielding roller having a central shaft and an annular shell with a
series of springs interposed there-between, each of said springs having one end
seated in the shell and the other end seated against the shaft, all the seats in the
shell being arranged to face in one direction and the seats at the shaft facing them

page_text: in a reverse or opposite direction and all of said springs acting in a circumferential
direction.
7. A surface yielding roller consisting of a central carrying shaft surrounded by
a shell of annular sections having faces engaging positively with the carrying faces
of the shaft, in combination with a series of springs that permit a lateral deflection
of the shell by external pressure and returns said sections against permanent stops
at a concentric position when the pressure is removed, all arranged in the same
transverse radial plane or circumferential line which makes it practical to construct
sections of very short lengths.
Dated this 8th day of Sentember 1901
JENSEN & SON,
77, Chancery Lane, London, W.C., Patent Agents.