IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING LIME AND OTHER PULVERULENT SUBSTANCES INTO SOLID OR COHERENT FORM
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Charles Sebastian Smith of Leicester in the County of
Leicester for an invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR COMPRESSING LIME AND OTHER PULVERULENT SUBSTANCES INTO SOLID
OR COHERENT FORM
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Charles Sebastian Smith
"
IMPROVE-
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 8th June 1882.
CHARLES SEBASTIAN SMITH of Leicester in the County of Leicester
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING LIME AND OTHER
PULVERULENT SUBSTANCES INTO SOLID OR COHERENT FORM ".
In subjecting powdered caustic lime to considerable pressure in dies for forming
it into solid cartridges such as are described in Smith and Moore's Patent No 1939
of 1881 it is essential in order to effect the compression with more or less uniformity
throughout the cartridge, that the pressure should be applied to the material at
both ends of the die. One part of my present invention relates to a mode of
effecting such pressure without the use of a separate bydraulic ram applied to each
end of the die.
For this purpose I support the die upon springs so that its one end is a certain
distance away from a base plate, on which is a fixed plunger entering the said end.
of the die, while at the other end of the die is situated a second plunger that is
actuated by hydraulic or other pressure. On pressure being applied by the last
named plunger to the lime or other material within the die, this will be compressed
to a certain extent at that end, while at the same time, owing to the friction of the
lime against the side of the die, the latter will be forced downwards or backwards
against the action of the springs so as to cause the fixed plunger to exert the same
pressure upon the other end of the charge contained in the die.
This arrangement of dies may be employed in combination with presses of
various constructions, but by preference, where the lime or other material requires
only a comparatively small preliminary pressure to compress it to a certain extent
I arrange such presses as follows:-I mount the plunger that is actuated by the
hydraulic pressure on a slide in which works an eccentric mounted on a shaft
[Price 6d 1

page_text: carried in bearings on two rods that are connected to the crosshead of the piston
or plunger of the hydraulic cylinder, the ends of the shaft being guided in the
framing of the press, and the one end being provided with a hand wheel or crank
handle. The die being charged with the pulverulent material, the shaft is first
turned by hand or otherwise so as to cause the eccentric to advance the plunger
into the die and effect a certain compression of the material. The eccentric
having performed half a revolution so as to be on its dead centre, fluid pressure is
now admitted to the hydraulic cylinder, causing its piston to move the before
mentioned shaft together with the eccentric slide and plunger so as to apply the
full pressure to the charge. The hydraulic cylinder is by preference situated below
the die, at the opposite end of the machine to that where the shaft and eccentric
are situated, and for delivering the lime cartridge from the mould after compression
I employ the following arrangement. The lower plunger is not fixed to the bed
plate but has a rod or extension passing down through the same, and having
pivotted to its lower end a lever with notches or forks that can be made to embrace
two rods passing down from the eccentric slide, so that on gearing by this means
the plunger rod to the last named rods, the upward motion of the latter on raising
the slide after the compression has been effected will cause the plunger to push the
compressed charge upward out of the die. As however the releasing of the charge
from the die in the first instance may require considerable pressure I prefer to
effect the first part of the motion by means of the hydraulic pressure, for which
purpose the rods connecting the piston to the eccentric shaft carry a cross piece a
short distance below the lower end of the plunger rod, and the lever carried by the
latter is connected by links to a moveable block on the cross piece so that when
the lever is turned so as to gear with the beforementioned lifting rods, it at the
same time brings the said block under the plunger rod, so that on now admitting
fluid pressure to the opposite end of the hydraulic cylinder this is made to act
upon the plunger rod, forcing up the compressed charge in the die to an extent
corresponding to the lift of the hydraulic cylinder. The die being carried by
springs as before stated, stops are provided above its upper end against which it is
pressed by the springs and which take the thrust when the compressed charge is
being forced out. The compressed charge having been raised up out of the die, the
lever on the plunger rod is turned so as to disengage it from the lifting rods
whereupon the plunger will drop back into its original position.
It will be evident that instead of employing an eccentric for effecting the initial
compression of the charge this may be effected by other known devices, such as a
second hydraulic cylinder worked by low pressure, or a screw or toggle action but
in such cases provision would have to be made for locking or holding the
compressing plunger when the full pressure is applied. Although I have described
the above apparatus as applied to the compressing of lime into solid cartridges, yet
it is equally applicable for compressing other pulverulent materials into solid forms.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Charles Sebastian Smith in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
6th December 1882.
CHARLES SEBASTIAN SMITH of Leicester in the County of Leicester " IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR COMPRESSING LIME AND OTHER
PULVERULENT SUBSTANCES INTO SOLID OR COHERENT FORM
"
In subjecting powdered caustic lime to considerable pressure in dies for forming
it into solid cartridges such as are described in Smith and Moore's Patent
No 1939 of 1881 it is essential in order to effect the compression with more or less
uniformity throughout the cartridge, that the pressure should be applied to the
material at both ends of the die.
My present invention relates principally to a mode of effecting such pressure
without the use of a separate hydraulic ram applied to each end of the die.
For this purpose I support the die upon springs or equivalent appliances so that
its one end is a certain distance away from a base plate, on which is a stationary
plunger entering the said end of the die, while at the other end of the die is
situated a second plunger that is actuated by hydraulic or other pressure. On
pressure being applied by the last named plunger to the lime or other material
within the die, this will be compressed to a certain extent at that end, while at the
same time, owing to the friction of the lime against the side of the die, the latter
will be forced downwards or backwards against the action of the springs or other
appliances so as to cause the stationary plunger to exert the same pressure upon
the other end of the charge contained in the die.
It will be evident that presses having the above described combination of a
yielding or movable die with a stationary plunger and a movable plunger are
capable of being arranged and operated in a great variety of ways and also that
the invention is equally applicable to the compression of other pulverulent
substances into solid forms besides lime. By way of example I will describe one
arrangement of press which I have found well suited for compressing the lime
cartridges above referred to, for which purpose I will refer to the accompanying
drawings, in which Fig. 1 shews a front elevation of the press, Fig. 2 a side
elevation with part broken away to shew the die, Figs. 3 and 4 sectional plans
respectively on lines X X and Y Y Fig. 1, Fig. 5 shews the coupling of the
plunger stem E to the rods P P, and Fig. 6 shews a sectional elevation of the die
on line Z Z Fig. 3.
On a strong bed plate A is mounted the movable die B in which the lime
cartridge is to be formed. This die is supported in a slightly raised position
between fixed guides C C by four springs D D. Entering the lower end of the die
is a plunger E resting with a shoulder on the bed plate and having a stem E¹
passing through the same, by means of which it can be pushed up in the die, as
will be presently described. F is a hydraulic cylinder fixed in an inverted position
to the underside of the press framing K, the crosshead G of its piston rod eing
connected by rods H H to a shaft I above the die. This shaft has its ends guided
by blocks sliding in the framing K and has fixed upon it an eccentric L working
in a block M sliding laterally in a guide N, to the underside of which is fixed the
compressing plunger O. The shaft I has a hand wheel I' by which it can be
turned from the position shewn in Fig. 2 to the opposite position, that is to say
with its throw directed downwards in line with the plungers and die. The
guide N also carries two rods PP passing down through the bed plate A and
provided with heads at their lower ends for a purpose to be presently explained.

page_text: The mode of operating with the press is as follows. The die B being charged with
the pulverulent lime while the guide N with plunger O are in the raised position
shewn, the shaft I is turned half round so as to cause the eccentric to move
downwards the guide N and plunger O until the latter has entered the upper end
of the die and effected the initial compression of the lime, such compression
requiring comparatively little power. The eccentric L being now on its dead
centre downwards, fluid pressure is admitted to the cylinder F above its piston
whereby the crosshead G, rods H H, shaft I, guide N and plunger O are all forced
downwards, causing the plunger O to exert a corresponding pressure on the charge
in the die. This pressure will be employed partly in compressing the upper part
of the charge, and partly in forcing the die downwards owing to the frictional
resistance of the lime against the surface of the die, and by such downward motion
of the die, the lower end of the charge will simultaneously be compressed by the
stationary plunger, the position of the parts being then as shewn in the section at
Fig. 6. The lime cartridge being thus effectually compressed from both ends, it
requires first to be loosened from the die, and then to be removed therefrom. For
these purposes the plunger stem E¹ has pivotted to its lower end a coupling lever Q
having notches Q1 Q2 which when the lever is turned by hand into the position shewn
in Fig. 5, are made to embrace the rods P P, which by the before described downward
motion of N in compressing the charge, will have been brought down to the level of
the stem E', as shewn at Fig. 5. By the said motion of the lever a pin Q³ thereon,
taking into a hole in the arm S₁ carrying the block S and pivotted to the strong
crossbar R attached to the rods H, causes the arm S¹ to bring the block S between
the lower end of the plunger stem E' and the bar R. On the fluid pressure being
now admitted to the underside of the piston of cylinder F (by means of suitable
cocks or valves and passages, not shewn) the cross head G, rods H and bar R will
be raised again and will cause the block S to push the plunger E upwards so as to
release the cartridge from its hold on the die. The hydraulic piston having com-
pleted its upward stroke, the shaft. I with its eccentric L is now turned so as to
raise the guide N, plunger O and rods P to their original position again, and the
coupling of E' to the rods P P by the lever Q will cause the plunger E to be raised
up in the die so as to entirely lift out the compressed cartridge, after which the
plunger is uncoupled from P P again, and drops into its original position on the
plate A, and the press is ready for operating on another charge. In order to
facilitate the loosening of the cartridge in the die, the latter is made of very
slightly tapering diameter, that is to say, slightly smaller at the lower than at the
upper end.
Having thus described the nature of my invention and in what manner the same
is to be performed, I claim in respect of machinery or apparatus for compressing
lime and other pulverulent substances:
First. The combination of a yielding or movable die or mould with a stationary
plunger entering it at one end and a plunger actuated by hydraulic or other power
entering its other end, so that on the last named plunger being made to compress a
charge in the die or mould, it will also cause the latter to move towards the
stationary plunger so as to effect compression at both ends of the charge.
Second. In combination with the mould or die B, supported in a raised position
by springs D or their equivalents, the stationary plunger E and movable
plunger arranged and operating substantially as herein described with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
Third. Mounting the compressing plunger O on a slide carried by an eccentric,
by means of which the plunger can be made to effect the initial compression of the
lime within the die or mould B before the greater pressure by hydraulic or other
power is applied thereto substantially as herein described.
Fourth. The combination of the die B, plungers E and O, shaft I, eccentric L,
fluid pressure cylinder F and rods H H, arranged and operating substantially as
herein described.

page_text: Fifth. In combination with the plunger E the stem E' with coupling lever Q
and the rods P P carried by eccentrics L'arranged and operating substantially as
herein described.
In Witness whereof I the said Charles Sebastian Smith have hereunto set
my hand and seal this fourth day of December in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty two.
C. SEBASTIAN SMITH (L.S.)