Improvements in Apparatus for Producing Butter.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 16th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 8th Feb., 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION,
[Communicated from abroad by CARL GUSTAF PATRIK DE LAVAL, Civil Engineer,
of Stockholm, Sweden.]
Improvements in Apparatus for Producing Butter.
I, HENRY HARINGTON LEIGH, Fel. Inst. P.A., Assoc. M. Inst. C.E., practising as
Phillips & Leigh, of No. 22, Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane, W.C., in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer and Patent Agent, 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 improvements in churns; and the objects of the same are
first to produce butter from cream or milk by a continuous process; second, to free
the butter thus produced as thoroughly as possible from butter milk and other super-
fluous liquid; and third, to combine the two processes of churning and skimming.
Heretofore butter has been usually made by exposing a limited quantity of cream
during a certain time to the influence of a shaking, beating, or rolling motion, so
causing the butter globules to separate from the milk and to form, by mutual cohesion,
more or less solid lumps of butter.
It has been proposed to produce butter from cream during the separation of the
latter from the milk by centrifugal force, but the result of the process has been very
unsatisfactory, as the quantity of milk required to yield a certain quantity of butter
has been unreasonably large in comparison with the above named non-continuous
process. The reason of such unsatisfactory result is the difference in the temperature
required for skimming by centrifugal force and the one most suitable for churning
the separated cream.
According to my invention, I produce butter continuously by passing the separated
cream through a hollow cylinder provided inside with rotary beaters. These beaters
are attached to a shaft, which rotates with great velocity, thus causing the butter
globules to separate from the butter milk during the passage of the cream through
the cylinder.
At the outlet end of the churn cylinder, there is placed upon the beater shaft a
drum, through which the mixture of butter globules and buttermilk has to pass, and
wherein the butter globules are united with each other and formed into lumps by
centrifugal force, while the butter-milk is simultaneously separated from the butter.
The accompanying drawing illustrates the object of my invention, and the manner
of connecting my continuous churn with a centrifugal creamer. Fig. 1 shows such
centrifugal creamer with a continuously acting churn attached thereto. Figs. 2, 3
and 4 represent, on a larger scale, the details of the churn. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal
section. Fig. 3 is a cross section at the line x x on Fig. 2; and Fig. 4, a cross section
at the line y y of Fig. 2.
Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.
The
The shaft a of the churn is provided with radial beaters 6 placed inside the
cylinder d. A pulley ffixed to one extremity of the shaft a serves to communicate
rotary motion to the same. The power may be obtained from any suitable source.
In the construction shown in Fig. 1, the pulley f is connected by a rope or belt g
with a smaller pulley c fixed to the vertical shaft h of a centrifugal creamer.
cream separated from the milk by centrifugal force inside the drum or bowl of such
creamer, flows out from the latter through a spout k, and over a cooling device k¹,
whereby the temperature required for successful and profitable skimming is reduced to
the temperature most suitable for churning.
Through the pipe e, the cooled cream enters the churning cylinder d, which, for the
said cooling purposes may be provided with a jacket d', being thus surrounded by an

page_text: annular space into which a cooling liquid is introduced. A similar cooling liquid
circulates inside the cooler k¹. The latter, not being a part of my invention, may be
constructed in any suitable manner.
Inside the cylinder d, the cream is exposed to the influence of the rotating beaters b,
which revolve through the same with great velocity, thus causing the butter globules
to separate from the buttermilk. To increase the effect of the beaters b, the cylinder d
may be provided inside with longitudinal or spiral ribs 1. After leaving that part
of the cylinder d wherein the beaters rotate, the mixture of butter globules and
butter milk enters into a cylindrical or conical drum e¹ fixed concentrically around
and to the shaft a and rotating with the same.
The centrifugal force, acting upon the said mixture inside the drum e¹, causes that
part of the mixture which is of greater specific gravity, viz., the buttermilk, to run
to the periphery of the drum, while the part of less specific gravity, viz., the butter
globules, collects nearer to the centre of the cylinder. Thus the butter globules
coming in contact with and pressing upon each other, form lumps and coherent
masses, which flow out through the opening at the end of the drum e¹ into a suitable
reservoir. The box i, without hottom and placed around the outlet, prevents the
flowing mixture of butter lumps and milk from scattering.
My churn is shown in the drawings in a horizontal position, but it may be either
inclined or vertical, as may be required.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :
1. In a machine for churning the combination of the cylinder d with rotating
beaters b and separating drum el, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
2. In a machine for churning, the combination of the rotating beaters
cylinder d provided with a cooling jacket, substantially as specified.
with the
3. In a machine for churning, the combination of a centrifugal creamer with a
cooling device k¹ and a continuous churn, substantially as specified.
Dated this 16th day of December 1889.
HENRY H. LEIGH.