IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING FODDER AND SIMILAR MATERIALS
Year: 1882

page_text: ..
LETTERS PATENT to Jasper Wetter, of New Wandsworth; Surrey for an
invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR COMPRESSING FODDER AND
SIMILAR MATERIALS A communication to him from abroad by Michel Laporte;
ainé. of Paris, France
14
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Jasper Wetter at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 23rd May 1882:
"
L
JASPER WETTER, of New Wandsworth, Surrey, IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR COMPRESSING FODDER AND SIMILAR MATERIALS, a communication to me from
abroad by Michel Laporte, ainé, of Paris, France,
The improved apparatus comprises a long wooden chest closed at the top by two
hinged doors, and at each end by a door provided with slits through which are
passed the ties for the bale of fodder after the latter is compressed.
The compression takes place alternately at the two ends of the chest by means
of a movable platform made of wood and provided with recesses to give room for
the ties.
Along each side of the chest is fixed a cast iron hydraulic cylinder closed at the
ends by bolted covers which give passage to a long iron piston rod, carrying in the
centre an annular piston provided with leather packing, and at each end a strong
cast iron cross head connecting the piston rod with two parallel bars moving along
the top and bottom of the cylinder where they pass through guides. These I iron
bars are recessed in the centre to receive the ends of two cross heads passing
through two grooves in the side of the chest and serving to hold the movable
compressing buffer or disc, so that the latter is carried along the axis of the chest
by the parallel bars.
.
The necessary pressure is obtained by two pumps mounted on the outside of
each cylinder at the same height and at a suitable distance.
Each pump barrel contains a double acting piston set in motion by two racks
forming a rectangle in the centre of which the piston rod is mounted.
This rectangle with parallel racks is set in motion by a balance lever terminating

page_text: at its smaller arm in a toothed sector gearing into the parallel racks, and at its
larger arm in a sleeve carrying an operating lever placed at a right angle to the
radius of the sector. This balance lever is made of two pieces and suspended by
two rods pivoted at the top to the pump barrel and at the bottom to the lower
end of the balance lever which is grooved concentrically to the sector. In this
groove slides a block which supports the two pivots of a movable sleeve serving as
a support to the balance lever.
The said supporting sleeve is mounted on a cylindrical extension cast to the
pump barrel and perpendicular to the axis of the latter
The same sleeve has two lateral racks into the teeth of which gear two pawls,
one for lifting the sleeve towards the axis of the pump, while the other serves to
retain it after every motion caused by the first pawl, which is mounted on the end
of a small crank shaft suspended from the motor cylinder and having at the other
end a strap carrying a friction roller which rests on the lower bar of the frame of
the motor cylinder. This bar is thickened at certain parts which during their
motion impart motion to the pawl, so that the supporting sleeve diminishes, in
rising, the length of the small arm of the balance lever in proportion to the
forward motion of the motor piston and to the resistance of the material to be
compressed.
A brass block serving at the same time as valve box, a reservoir, and a connection
with the cylinder is bolted to the pump barrel.
The two suction valves and the two discharge valves are placed at the same
level and mushroom shaped with leather packing. The reservoirs are cylindrical
chambers situated under the valve seats and containing leather-packed buffers or
discs serving as valves. They receive the discharge from every stroke of the
piston. These discs or buffers are moved simultaneously by a cranked rod passing
through the buffers and terminating in a handle by which the course of the water,
_ and consequently also the direction of the piston movement can be changed.
Every bend or crank on the rod corresponds to a valve-Suitable pipes connect
the suction and discharge side of the pump with one of the cylinder ends.
A small tank cast to the motor cylinder at the same level as the valve box com-
municates with the latter by pipes and serves to fill the cylinder before the
apparatus is set in motion, and to replace any loss of liquid.
The water in the cylinders may be mixed with glycerine to prevent freezing.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Jasper Wetter in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
23rd November 1882.
•
JASPER WETTER, of New Wandsworth, Surrey, IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR COMPRESSING FODDER AND SIMILAR MATERIALS, a communication to me from
abroad by Michel Laporte, ainé, of Paris France,
This invention relates to apparatus for compressing fodder and other compressible
material. It will be described with the aid of the accompanying drawings which
illustrate a press embodying the invention. In these drawings:
Fiġ 2 a
line A. B
Fig. 6 is
Fig 8 a
This
Fig 1 is a plan of the apparatus showing the movable buffer-plate f.
front elevation. Fig 3 a side elevation. Fig 4 a vertical section along
of Fig 1. Fig 5 shows in detail the movement of the racks and pawls.
a section along line C D of Fig 1. Fig 7. a section along line E F G.
section along line H K of Fig. 2 and Fig. 9 a section along line I L of Fig. 1.
apparatus comprises a rectangular wooden chest a closed at the top by two wooden
doors b fixed on hinges c. These doors are closed by means of the iron bars o¹
provided with hinges and handles c¹. The two opposite extremities of the chest
are closed by doors d d formed by strong boards placed vertically and provided
with slits large enough to allow the bale ties to pass through. The doors d, d' are
provided with hinges d¹¹, and strong iron bars e¹ bolted to the same serve to
strengthen them as well as to close them by means of two handles e¹¹ turning
horizontally
In the inside of the chest is a movable vertical board or buffer plate ƒ of the
same form as the two lateral doors d d'. Along the sides of the chest a are 'fixed'
horizontally two cast iron hydraulic cylinders g closed at the ends by bolted covers
which give passage to a long iron piston rod h carrying in the centre an annular
piston provided with leather packing, and at each end a cast iron cross head i
having the form of a double T connects the piston rod with two parallel bars K
moving along the top and bottom of the cylinder g, where they pass through
guides l.
These two I shaped parallel iron bars K are perforated in the centre to receive
the ends of two cross bars m passing through two grooves n in the side of the
chest. Fixed to these cross-bars m' is the movable buffer-plate or block The
necessary hydraulic pressure is obtained by two pumps o mounted on the outside
of each cylinder g at the same height and at a suitable distance. Each pump-
barrel o contains a double-acting piston, set in motion by two racks p forming
a rectangle in the centre of which the rod g of the small piston is mounted: This
rectangle with parallel racks p p p p is set in motion by a balance lever ŕ the
smaller arm of which terminates in a toothed sector gearing into the parallel
racks p while each of its larger arms carries a sleeve receiving an operating
lever S placed at a right angle to the radius of the sector. This balance-lever
is made of two pieces joined by bolts and suspended by means of two rods t¹,
pivoted at the top to the pump-barrel o and at the bottom to the lower end of the
balance-lever which is grooved along the radius of the sector r
r
In this large groove t₁ slides a movable block or sleeve 111 serving as a support
to the balance-lever r.
The said supporting sleeve' is mounted on a cylindrical extension .cast to the
pump-barrel o and perpendicular to the axis of the latter. This sleeve û has two
opposite lateral racks u¹ into the teeth of which engage two pawls'u", one u
for lifting the sleeve towards the axis of the pump, while the other u¹¹ serves to

page_text: retain it after every motion caused by the first pawl u¹¹, and while this latter is
about to engage another tooth of the rack u', thereby causing the same to continue
its upward movement. The first pawl u¹ is mounted on the end of a small shaft v
suspended from the motor cylinder 9 having at the other end a fork v carrying
a friction roller v" on which rests the lower bar K, said bar being provided with
facings K' along its surface.
The facings K¹ during their motion depress the friction roller vll, which imparts
motion to the pawl u¹¹, so that the sleeve t which supports the balance-lever r,
rises in proportion of the forward motion of the motor-piston; the small arm of
the operating lever S, being thereby diminished, the resistance of the material to
be compressed in the chest a, remains constant. From the aforesaid it may be seen
that all the parts situated on one side of the chest are symmetrically reproduced
on the other side of the same, and the pumps being worked simultaneously, the
bars K situated on both sides carry the compressing plate f by means of the cross-
heads malong the length of the chest. On the pump barrel o is fixed a brass-
piece x, serving at the same time as valve-box, as suction and discharge reservoir,
as valve seat or cock for reversing the pump, and for establishing communication
with the cylinder. This piece x contains two suction valves x¹ and two discharge
valves, they are placed on the same level and are of equal size. The reservoirs
are cylindrical chambers situated under the valve-seats. In these reservoirs
are buffers y provided with leather-packings and serving as valves; they receive
the discharge from every stroke of the piston. These discs or buffers y are moved
simultaneously by a cranked rod y¹ having two bends or knees. This rod passes
through the buffers and terminates in a bandle y by which the course of the
water and consequently also the direction of the press-block f can be changed
according to the turning of the handle y¹¹ from right to left or from left to right.
Every knee or bend on the rod corresponds to a valve. The joints connect the
suction and discharge side of the pump with the respective ends of the cylinder g
by means of pipes z fixed to the cylinder.
A small tank 211 cast to the motor-cylinder g and communicating with the valve
box by pipes, serves to fill the cylinder before the apparatus is set in motion, it
also serves as a water-reservoir.
The motor cylinders g are provided with feet or supports gll which serve to fix
the cylinders to the under frame of the chest and to support the sides, also to carry
at the top the hinge-joints c which correspond to the closing bars c¹. To facilitate
the working of the pump and to prevent the oxydation of any part as well as the
freezing in winter, the water in the cylinder is mixed with glycerine. To compress
the fodder, the machine is worked in the following way-The closing handles cl
are lowered and the doors 6 opened; the space between the movable buffer plate f
and the lateral door d is then filled, the doors b closed and the cross bars c¹ which
are maintained by the handles c¹¹, are fastened over said doors. The lever S is then
turned, by which the pump e is set in motion and thereby the piston of the large
cylinder g. As the movable buffer plate f is fixed to the parallel bars K by means
of the cross heads m and the bars K moved by the rod h, carry along the buffer f
the latter compresses the material contained between it and one of the lateral
doors ď ď¹.
The bundle of fodder (hay) having been compressed to the extent required, the
doors b. are reopened, and ties are passed through the slits e of the board f and of
the doors d d², similar slits being also provided in the bottom of the chest where
the bay is compressed; the ties or cords are then tied after which it is only
necessary to open the doors d to take the compressed bale out. To recommence
the operation it is sufficient to fill the large space of the chest a between the buffer
board and the other lateral door d¹, the doors b. are then again closed and
fastened; by means of the handle y" the direction of the water in the pump o is
reversed, and by turning the lever S the same result as before is obtained.
Having now described the invention as communicated to me by my foreign
correspondent I wish it to be understood, that I claim,

page_text: 1. The application of a double-acting movable buffer-plate or press-block f
adapted to compress the material alternately at each end of the chest.
2. The application of the horizontal hydraulic piston with accessories.
3. The application of water tanks or collectors adapted to easily allow the
suction and discharge of water from or into one or the other end of the cylinders,
without interfering with the working of the pump and with or without pressure
in the cylinders.
The whole substantially as and for the purposes described,
In Witness whereof, I, the said Jasper Wetter have hereunto set my hand
and seal this twenty third day of November AD 1882.
J WETTER (LS)