IMPROVE- MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR DISINTEGRATING VEGETABLE SUB- STANCES
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Thomas Rose, junior, of Botany Bay Farm, Hilgay
Fen, in the County of Norfolk, Farmer, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR DISINTEGRATING VEGETABLE SUB-
STANCES."
Sealed the 28th August 1857, and dated the 2nd March 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Thomas Rose, at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
2nd March 1857.
I, THOMAS ROSE, junior, of Botany Bay Farm, Hilgay Fen, in the County
of Norfolk, Farmer, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR DISINTEGRATING VEGETABLE SUB-
STANCES," to be as follows:-
My improvements in apparatus for reducing or disintegrating vegetable
substances consists of two hollow frustrums of cones mounted on two horizontal
axes and placed side by side, the positions of the cones being reversed with
respect to each other, that is to say, the large end of the one frustrum is
placed to the small end of the other. These truncated cones are geared
together by means of two spur wheels, and consequently revolve in opposite
directions when in motion; they have each a number of openings distributed

page_text: over their whole surface, with blank spaces or surfaces intervening between
them; the openings are for the insertion of the cutting teeth, which are
produced in steel plates fitted to those openings in which they are adjusted
and fixed. The forms and arrangement of the cutter plates in the cones are
such as to leave the blank spaces between them somewhat of the same area
and figure; the cones are geared together so that the cutters of the one cone
are successively opposed to the blank or smooth surfaces of the other cone as
they rotate and while in the act of cutting. The cutting teeth are produced
in plates or pieces of steel by raising or punching them up from the under
side, the raised parts being afterwards sharpened and otherwise finishing as
required; the axes are mounted in a suitable frame, and surmounted with a
hopper for the deposit of the roots or vegetable matters to be reduced. The
machine is furnished with a fly wheel and winch handles for driving, or it may
be actuated by steam or other suitable motive power to produce the rotation
of the cones. The cones may be adjusted in close proximity to each other
without the liability of the teeth of the one coming in contact with the teeth of
the other. The roots or vegetable matters which are placed in the hopper above
are by the revolution of the cones towards each other carried between them,
the teeth there cutting the vegetable matters to shreds, which pass through the
cutter plates into the interior of the cones, and are delivered by them at the
large ends into suitable shoots or receptacles.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Thomas Rose in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
1st September 1857.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, THOMAS
ROSE, junior, of Botany Bay Farm, Hilgay Fen, in the County of Norfolk,
Farmer, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Second day of March, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twentieth year of Her reign,
did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the said
Thomas Rose, junior, Her special licence that I, the said Thomas Rose,
junior, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I,
the said Thomas Rose, junior, 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

page_text: Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for
IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CUTTING OR DISINTEGRATING VEGETABLE
SUBSTANCES," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said. Thomas
Rose, junior, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in writing
5 under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should particularly describe
and ascertain the nature of the 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 Thomas Rose, junior, 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 Drawing hereunto
annexed, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):-
My improvements in apparatus for reducing or disintegrating vegetable
substances consist of two hollow frustrums of cones mounted on two horizontal
axes and placed side by side, the positions of the cones being reversed with:
respect to each other, that is to say, the large end of the frustrum is placed to
the small end of the other. These truncated cones are geared together by
means of two spur wheels, and consequently revolve in opposite directions
when in motion. They have each a number of openings distributed over their
whole surface, with blank spaces or surfaces intervening between them. The
openings are for the insertion of the cutting teeth which are produced in steel
plates fitted to those openings in which they are adjusted and fixed. The form
and arrangement of the cutter plates in the cones are such as to leave the
blank spaces between them somewhat of the same area and figure. The
cones are geared together so that the cutters of the one cone are successively
opposed to the blank or smooth surfaces of the other cone as they rotate and
while in the act of cutting. The cutting teeth are produced in plates or pieces:
of steel by raising or punching them up from the under side, the raised parts
being afterwards sharpened and otherwise finished as required. The axes are
mounted in a suitable frame, and surmounted with a hopper for the deposit of
the roots or vegetable matters to be reduced. The machine is furnished with
á fly wheel and winch handles for driving, or it may be actuated by steam or
other suitable motive power to produce the rotation of the cones.
may be adjusted in close proximity to each other without the liability of the
teeth of the one coming in contact with the teeth of the other. The roots or
vegetable matters which are placed in the hopper above are by the revolution
of the cones towards each other carried between them, the teeth there cutting
The cones

page_text: DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS.
It is set down
Figure 1 represents a side view of my improved apparatus for cutting roots
or other vegetable substances complete; Figure 2, a side view of the same
removed; Figure 3, an end view of the machine as at Figure 2; and Figure 4,
a plan of the same. As before mentioned, the cutting part consists of two
drums a, a, in the form of a frustrum of a cone, for the convenience of forma-
tion I cast each cone or drum in two halves, the whole having a number of
holes or openings b, b, therein, as represented in the separate drum, Figure 5,
the large end of which is represented at Figure 8, and the small end at Figure 9.
The cutting teeth are formed in separate plates c, c, of steel, curved to the form
of the cones a at the position the plate is to occupy. Figure 6 represents a
plan of the plate singly; and Figure 7, a section of the same.
all round the edge to form a rebate which fits the opening b. The teeth 2,2,2,
are cut from the steel plate, and forced up from underneath by a punch
forming a gouged-formed tooth raised above the level of the plate, as seen best
in the section, Figure 7. The teeth 2, 2, after being punched up, are each
sharpened to a cutting edge with a file, and the whole hardened and tempered
as a cutting instrument previous to hardening; the plates c have each a
number of holes drilled round the edge for rivetting them to the cones a, a.
These plates are fixed in each opening b in the cones, and secured by rivetting
the rebate edge to the circumference of the holes b, the plates being entered
from the inside of the cone and thrust through those openings. Instead of
rivetting the plates in position they may be fixed with screws suitable for the
purpose. The half parts of the cones are mounted on shafts d, d, by means of
arms e, e; the arms e have lugs f, f, by which the parts of the cones are bolted
thereto, and are at the same time held together; further junction pieces may be
placed midway of the length of the cone to maintain and secure the joint
throughout. The drums being each fitted on shafts d, d, are mounted in
bearings g, g, on the frame or stand h, h, and are geared together by spur
wheels i, i, which are of equal diameter in order to maintain an equal speed of
the drums a, a, which are represented as driven by winch handles k, k, but any
other power may be applied for the purpose. is a fly wheel to equalize the
motion of the cutting drums a, a; m is a box enclosing the upper part of the
drums, surmounted by a hopper n, in which the turnips or roots or other
vegetables are placed to be cut. It will be observed that at the point where

page_text: the drums are nearest each other, the cutting teeth of the one drum a come
opposite the blank space of the other drum, where there are no teeth; and
as the drums a, a, revolve in opposite directions they may be adjusted to work
in close proximity without any chance of contact of the teeth. It will be
observed that the drums being conical they have a considerable difference of
surface speed where the small part of the one drum is opposed to the large
part of the other (at the ends) which decreases gradually towards the middle.
of their length where the surface speed of each is the same. The action of
the machine is this:-Motion being communicated to the drums a, a, by the
winch handles and the roots placed in the hopper n, the action of the drums
which revolve towards each other tends to gather the roots towards the middle
or between them, and the teeth taking hold, cut and separate the roots into
small pieces; as little space is left between the surfaces of the drums, the whole
or nearly the whole of the cut portions of the roots are constrained to pass
through the hollows of the teeth and into the interior of the drums, and is
thus disintegrated and reduced into small shreds of nearly uniform size. The
roots so cut and disentegrated are by the motion of the drums carried towards
the large ends thereof, and from thence fall into a skep or other receptacle
placed underneath to receive the disintegrated matters. The action of the drums
prevents the possibility of the hopper n choking, and it will continue in action
without interruption, so long as the supply is kept up in the hopper above.
Figure 10 represents a drum a¹ constructed of sheet steel, in which the
teeth are struck up from the surface of the drum instead of being fixed in
plates, as herein-before described; Figure 11 represents the large end of.
Figure 10; and Figure 12, the small end of the cone.
For this purpose,
instead of the arms e, e, before mentioned, I fix arms and rims e, e¹, at
the small and large ends, of the proper diameters; to the rims e', I rivet
or otherwise secure plates or pieces of steel a', a', curved to suit the
form of the drum. In these pieces of sheet steel the teeth 3, 3, 3, are
formed by punching up from the under side, and afterwards sharpening and
hardening them, as before described. These teeth are represented arranged in
sets of five, and are so disposed as to leave the blank spaces between the sets,
as before described and represented in Figure 4. The drums are geared so
that the set of five teeth of the one drum comes opposite the blank space
of the other drum at the point where they are nearest each other, as before
described.
In this Figure the surface of the drum is represented as made of three
pieces, each having five sets of teeth, making fifteen sets, or seventy-five teeth.
in each drum.

page_text: In addition to the framing of the steel plates a' to the rims e', the butting.
edges of the plates are united throughout their length by a flush joint having
lapping pieces p, p, riveted to the edge of the plate.
The arrangement of the apparatus represented, and the drum last herein
described is adapted for a hand power machine, it may however be of any size,
and with a number of teeth according to the amount of work required to be
performed, and the power by which it is driven.
Having described the nature of my Invention, and the manner in which it is
performed, I wish it to be understood that what I claim as the Invention
intended to be protected by the herein-before in part recited Letters Patent,
is the combination of conical drums having cutting teeth for cutting or
disintegrating vegetable substances, arranged and constructed all as berein-,
before described.
In witness whereof, I, Thomas Rose, junior, have hereunto set my band
and seal, this Thirty-first day of August, in the year of our Lord One 1
thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven.
THOMAS ROSE. (L.S.)