Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 18th Feb., 1887
Complete Left, 4th Nov., 1887
Complete Accepted, 6th Dec., 1887
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane in
the County of Middlesex, Consulting Engineer and Patent Agent. do hereby declare
the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
The three-roll sugar cane mill, in which one roll is arranged above and between the
other two so as to form a triangle, offers the advantages over other arrangements,
firstly in that the sugar cane enters the mill readily at a descending angle of
about 45°; that the small distance between the point of contact of the first roll with
the second, and of the second with the third, facilitates the passage of the material
from the first point of pressure to the second; that it insures the maximum extraction
of the saccharine juices, the points of pressing contact being situated above the
discharge of the liquid, and lastly, that it affords a ready discharge of the crushed
cano after extraction of the pieces.
A single set of three rolls will however only effect the extraction of about three
fourths of the juices, and even the application of only a second set is not sufficient to
effect a complete extraction, in particular if the operation of the two sets is
discontinuous.
According to the present invention a sugar cane mill on the three-roll system is
constructed with a considerable number of rolls, such at 7 or 9, the number varying
according as the canes treated contain more or less liquid matter, but being always
an uneven one. The rolls are for this purpose arranged in an upper and a lower row,
there being always an upper roll situated between every two consecutive lower rolls,
so that there is always one roll less in the upper row than in the lower one. Thus,
numbering the lower rolls 1, 3, 5, 7, and the upper ones 2, 4, 6, there is a repetition
of the ordinary three roll action, first between 1, 2 and 3, then between 3, 4 and 5,
and lastly between 5, 6 and 7, the cane being made in its passage through the mill to
pass from the first to the second set over roll 3, and from the second to the 3rd over
CD
1 137

page_text: roll 5, and being delivered over cylinder 7. All the rolls except the two end ones of
the lower row therefore act with a double pressure.
For facilitating the erection of such multiple three roll mills the side frames
carrying the journals of the rolls are divided into a number of separate parts, there
being five parts for a mill with seven rolls and six for a mill with nine rolls. Thus in
a seven-roll mill, the frames are constructed as follows. There are two end sections
that carry respectively the rolls 1, 2 and 6, 7, and there is a middle section that carries
the rolls 3, 4 and 5. The end sections are notched or stepped at the ends for receiving
respectively the plummer blocks of 1 and 7, which can slide horizontally thercon,
and they each form the one side-cheek for the vertically adjustable plummer blocks
of 2 and 3, and of 6 and 5, the other side cheeks for 3 and 5 being formed on the
middle section, while the other side cheeks for 2 and 6, and both side cheeks for 4 are
formed by two upper sections, that are supported by shoulders both on the end
sections and the middle section, such upper section being situated immediately over
and taking the upward thrust of the plummer blocks of 3 and 5, so that on the
removal of the sections the blocks can be taken out. The plummer blocks of the
upper rolls, 2, 4, 6 are held down by caps fitting between the side cheeks and having
side flanges that meet over the two upper sections of the frame, and thus hold these
in position, the caps being secured by vertical tie bolts passing down through the
framing. These caps, as also the plummer blocks of the several rolls are made
adjustable in height by means of wedges underneath the same that are adjusted
inwards or outwards by screwed shanks connected thereto, and nuts bearing against
the sides of the frames.
The several sections of the frames are tied together in a longitudinal direction by
three sets of tie bars, of which the two lower ones pass respectively above and below
the plummer blocks of the lower row of rolls; these bars have screwed ends that pass
firstly through eyes on transverse bars that butt against the end faces of the outer
sections of the frames, and have straining nuts bearing against these transverse bars,
the screwed ends being extended beyond the transverse bars so as to pass through
vertical bars, behind which they have other nuts, while the vertical bars have screws
screwing through their middles that bear against and thus both adjust horizontally
and form the abutment of the plummer blocks of rolls 1 and 7.
The curved guide plates for guiding the crushed cane or megasse from the one set
of rolls to the other have grooves or channels formed in them in the direction of the
travel of the cane, such channels being made to widen out towards the end of the
plates and serving to facilitate the discharge of the juice carried by the crushed cane
as it travels along. The guide plates are supported by transverse bars, adjusted
vertically by means of wedges with screw adjustment.
The toothed pinions by which motion is imparted to the rolls are fitted with tapered
sockets upon tapered projecting ends of the roll's trunnions, being forced firmly home
on these by a disc bearing on the outer face of the pinions through which passes a
screw screwing into the end face of the trunnion.
Dated this 18th day of February 1887.

page_text: COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Multiple Three-roll Sugar Cane Mills.
I, CHARLES DENTON ABEL of No. 28 Southampton Buildings, Chancery Lane
in the County of Middlesex, Consulting 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:-
The three-roll sugar cane mill, in which one roll is arranged above and between the
other two so as to form a triangle, offers the advantages over other arrangements,
firstly in that the sugar cane enters the mill readily at a descending angle of about 45°;
that the small distance between the point of contact of the first roll with the second
and of the second with the third facilitates the passage of the material from the first
point of pressure to the second; that it insures the maximum extraction of the
saccharine juices, the points of pressing contact being situated above the discharge of
the liquid and lastly, that it affords a ready discharge of the crushed cane after
extraction of the pieces.
A single set of these rolls will however only effect the extraction of about three
fourths of the juices and even the application of only a second set is not sufficient to
effect a complete extraction, in particular if the operation of the two sets is
discontinuous.
According to the present invention, a sugar cane mill on the three-roll system is
constructed with a considerable number of rolls such as 7 or 9, the number varying
according as the canes treated contain more or less liquid matter, but being always an
uneven one. The rolls are for this purpose arranged in an upper and a lower row
there being always an upper roll situated between every two consecutive lower rolls,
so that there is always one roll less in the upper row than in the lower one. Thus,
numbering the lower rolls 1, 3, 5, 7, and the upper ones 2, 4, 6 there is a repitition of
the ordinary three roll action first between 1, 2 and 3 then between 3, 4 and 5 and
lastly between 5, 6 and 7, the cane being made in its passage through the mill to pass
from the first to the second set over roll 3, and from the second to the 3rd over roll 5,
and being delivered over cylinder 7. All the rolls except the two end ones of the
lower row therefore act with a double pressure, the pressure on the entering side being
however weaker than on the other side.
Fig. 1 of the accompanying drawings shews a side elevation of a mill with seven
rolls constructed according to the above described invention.
Fig. 2 shews a plan, Fig. 3 a longitudinal section and Figs. 4 to 9 shew details.
The framing of the mill is constructed of a number of separate parts, there being
five such parts for a mill with 7 rolls as shewn at 1, 2, 3 AA and six for one with
nine rolls. The form of each part is shewn separately at Fig. 4.
These parts are firmly secured together, enclosing the plummer blocks a a for the
bearings of the middle rolls and the rectangular vertical tie bolts between them.
These tie bolts are secured on the underside of the bed plate B by keys, and in fitting

page_text: accurately within corresponding rectangular grooves of the meeting faces of the parts
they also serve to effectually key these together in a transverse direction. In the
longitudinal direction of the frame a certain amount of play is left between these tie
rods and the grooves as shewn in the sectional plan Fig. 2.
Each frame is also tied together in a longitudinal direction by three sets of
horizontal tie bars X Y Z, of which the two lower sets X Y have at each end screws
with nuts gg for tightening up the separate parts, for which purpose the nuts bear
upon cross bars k k.
The screws extend beyond the nnts and pass through caps M beyond which they are
provided with nuts h h for securing these caps. Through the caps M pass other
screws that serve to adjust the bearings of the lower outer rolls. Fig. 6 shews a
plan of one set of the tie bars X with their screws and nuts; they are tied across at
the middle of their length by a screw bolt T passing through bosses formed on
them.
In order to facilitate the inspection and removal of the lower rolls, the middle set
of tie bars Y may be made in two parts instead of in a single length as at Fig. 1, so
as to be readily removeable, as shewn at Fig. 5. They are for this purpose formed
with projecting bosses t¹t which fit into recesses in a casting R and in outer caps S,
the several parts being tied together by screw bolts T¹ which at the same time
serve to securely fix the parts A A of the framing and consequently also the parts
adjacent thereto, and counteract all tendency to lateral flexure. The jointing of
the tie bars also has the effect of causing each half of the bars to take directly the
strain put upon the part of the frame which is embraced thereby, without however
having any tendency to separate from the other part, the two being effectually tied
together by the coupling pieces R S. Lastly, this arrangement has the advantage
that the parts of the frame, or the rolls, on the one side of the mill can be dismounted
without interfering with the other side.
Fig. 7 shews the arrangement for adjusting the pressure of the rolls, the bearing
blocks of which are acted upon by transverse wedges F with screw nuts, by screwing
up or unscrewing which the rolls are raised or lowered (having previously loosened
the nuts of the vertical tie rods.
Fig. 9 shews a plan of the improved form of guide plate for the megasse as it
passes from one roll to another; it is formed with tapering channels without any
perforations by means of which the expressed juice is delivered freely from underneath
the whole under surface of the megasse, and flows off at the edge. As there are no
perforations or openings in the surface, the guide offers no resistance to the megasse
which can slide smoothly over it, the surface in contact and consequently the frictional
resistance being gradually decreased by the widening of the grooves in the direction
of motion. As the liquid can flow freely from the grooves at the edge of the plate
this can be brought into close proximity to the next roll, as shewn in the cross section
at Fig. 8, so that by this means the carrying down of loose particles of megasse with
the juice is greatly prevented.
'
Fig. 10 is a cross section of the rolls, shewing their relative positions. It will be
seen that each roll is so adjusted in position relatively to the two contiguous ones that
it exerts considerable pressure only on that side on which it delivers the megasse on
to the next roll, so that the expressed juice flows in the contrary direction to that in
which the megasse travels; that is to say, each upper cylinder only exerts a slight
pressure upon the megasse as this is delivered to it from the preceding lower cylinder
but exerts considerable pressure as it delivers the megasse onto the following lower
cylinder.
Fig. 11 shews a diagram of the toothed gearing for driving the several rolls.
Motion is first imparted to the shaft D which transmits it through pinion to the
wheel, the pinion Z on the shaft of which drives two wheels m, n, fixed on the axes
of the two outer upper rolls. These axes carry, pinions d, e gearing respectively with
the pinions sr and uy of the lower rolls. The pinions and y of the two middle
lower rolls gear with the pinion / on the axis of the middle upper roll so as to drive
this.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is:-
1. The construction of sugar-cane mills on the multiple three-roll system, the side
frames of which are constructed of several separate parts that are tied together by
vertical and horizontal tie bolts or bars, there being two central parts which serve to
hold down the bearing blocks of the middle lower rolls by means of the pressure
exerted upon such parts by the caps holding the blocks of the upper rolls, substantially
as herein described.
2. Providing the horizontal tie bolts or bars for tying together the parts of the
framing referred to in the preceding claim, with additional screw nuts acting upon
caps through which pass the adjusting screws for the bearings of the outer lower rolls,
substantially as herein described.
3. In sugar-cane mills the use of guide plates for the megasse provided with
tapering and inclined channels for facilitating the discharge of the expressed juice
from the megasse, substantially as herein described.
ABEL & IMRAY,
Agents for the Applicant.