IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER-MILLS
Year: 1885

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I, WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex do hereby declare the nature
of my invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN ROLLER-MILLS" and in what manner the
same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
This Invention relates to roller-mills of that class in which three rolls are
arranged above each other, the intermittent roll being journalled in fixed bearings
while the upper and lower rolls are journalled in bearings moving in vertical guides
and capable of moving vertically therein.
One object of the present invention is to relieve from strain or undue pressure,
the journal bearings of the two outside rolls, and, at the same time, to obtain for
the said outside rolls in a most simple manner, the differential rotary motion
required in grinding, by means of the same contrivance as is used for relieving the
said bearings. Another object of the said invention is to provide for feeding the
material to be ground, in a simplified manner, to the lower pair of the rolls by
means of a centrifugal apparatus of the type described in the specification of Letters
Patent dated October 13th A.D 1880 No 4169 and thus to obtain separate feeds
for the upper and lower pairs of rolls, thereby avoiding the difficulty of employing
feed-conduits crossing each other, as has been the case heretofore.
The invention consists essentially in the novel arrangement of a flexible endless
belt of leather or other suitable material running over pulleys fixed on the shafts
of the said outside rolls, and thus establishing a connection between the latter, so
that on transmitting to one of these outside rolls a greater rotary speed than to
the said intermediate roll, the other outside roll will be bound to partake of this
greater circumferential speed likewise, a differential rotary motion being, by these
means, established with regard to the said two outside rolls, on the one hand, and
the said intermediate roll on the other hand. At the same time, the said flexible
endless belt is intended to serve the purpose of relieving from undue pressure, or
strain, the journal-bearings of the said outside rolls, inasmuch as it allows, by
reason of its flexibility, of being bent and stretched in the proper direction by
Price AJI

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means of some suitable stretching device connected therewith, thus drawing
forcing the said two outside rolls toward the said intermediate roll and thereby
relieving the bearings of the said former rolls from undue strain, or pressure, in a
well known manner.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a vertical transverse section of the improved machine shewing the
arrangement of the feeding devices.
Figure 2 is a side view of the machine shewing the flexible belts and the
adjusting mechanism.
Figure 3 is an end view, also shewing the flexible belts and part of the adjusting
mechanism, and
Figure 4 is a top view or plan of the improved machine, partly in section.
Similar letters of reference indicate similar parts throughout the drawings.
A indicates the intermediate roll of relatively greater diameter than the outside
rolls, and suitably journalled in fixed bearings, in the side standards of the frame
of the machine which is of the usual or other convenient construction. Rotary
motion is imparted to the said roll A from any suitable source of power by means
of a driving belt running over the pulley a attached to the shaft of the roll A.
B indicates the upper, and C the lower roll. These two rolls are herein referred
to as "outside rolls "the roll A and the roll B as the upper pair of rolls, and the
roll A and the roll C as the lower "pair of rolls."
The outside rolls B and C are journalled in bearings arranged in guide-slots in
the side standards of the machine and are capable of being reciprocated therein in
a vertical direction in a manner well known in machines of a similar type. The
shafts of the rolls B and C are provided with the pulleys b and c respectively,
which pulleys are connected by the flexible endless belts D of leather, steel wire,
or other, suitable material, led around their peripheries. Rotary motion, independent
of the motion of the intermediate roll. A, is imparted to the said outside rolls from
any suitable source of power by means of a belt and pulley d, which in the machine
illustrated in the drawings, is fixed upon the shaft of the upper roll B, said rotary
motion being transmitted to the lower roll C by means of the said flexible
belts D, D.
In order to obtain the pressure required between the several rolls according to
the nature of the material to be ground, the outside rolls B and C are drawn
toward the intermediate, roll A by tightening or straining the flexible endless
belts D by means of some suitable tightening mechanism, which in the machine
shewn is constructed and operates as follows. E E indicate tightening rolls
journalled in bifurcated leverse and bearing against the outer surfaces of the
belts D. Each lever e is arranged to swing on the shaft f which carries another
versatile lever g held down by an excentric h and carrying a rod i passing through
the said lever 6. kis a spiral spring having its tension controlled by means of the
nuts said spring encircling the rod i and pressing against the said lever e.
It will be seen that on pressing down the said levers g by means of the excentrics h,
the pressure thus exerted will be transmitted to the levers e by means of the
spring the rolls E being thereby caused to press against the flexible endless
The rotation of
belts D and strain or tighten the same in the required measure.
the excentrics h necessary for the above purpose, is effected by means of the hand
wheel m and worm n connected therewith, said worm n gearing with a worm
wheel p fixed upon the shaft o of the said excentrics and thus imparting the
required rotary motion, to the latter.
•
Attention is drawn to the fact that by the insertion of the adjustable springs k
the pressure exerted by the rolls E against the flexible belts D, is rendered elastic
and that thereby a further important advantage is obtained, as in case of foreign
parts of a coarser and harder character than the material proper passing between
the crushing rolls A, B, C, the tightening rolls E will be enabled to give way or
yield, thus relaxing the strain exerted upon the flexible belts D and thereby
allowing the latter to yield and preventing them from being torn,

page_text: It is commonly known that in order to cause the two outside rolls to bear with a
uniform pressure against the intermediate roll, the weight of the lower one of the
said outside rolls, which tends to move away from the intermediate roll must be
balanced. In the machine illustrated in the drawings, this is effected by means of
strong spiral springs r arranged underneath the bearings of the said lower roll and
capable of being controlled by adjusting screws; q.
It will be readily seen, that by means of the said flexible belts in combination
with tightening and regulating-devices, either of the construction shewn in the
drawings, or of any other suitable type, the bearings of the upper and lower rolls
are completely relieved from undue strain, or pressure, and that their bearings
merely serve for guiding the said rolls.
I wish it understood that in carrying into effect my invention, I do not confine
myself to the special construction and arrangement to the said tightening and
regulating devices as shewn in the drawings, since it will be seen that the devices
for actuating the tightening rolls may readily be modified in many respects without
departing from the nature of my present invention, which consists in causing the
bearings of the said outside rolls to be relieved from strain, or pressure, in a con-
trollable manner, by permitting the straining or tightening of the said flexible
endless belts.
The arrangement of the tightening rolls or devices may also be modified by
placing the said rolls within the said flexible endless belts and pressing the latter
outwards which would cause the said belts to be 'tightened in a downward and
upward direction with the same effect as hereintofore described.
As has been mentioned already, the rotation of the upper and lower rolls B and C
is effected by means of the pulley d and the flexible endless belts D quite inde-
pendently of the motion of the intermediate roll A, whereby the differential rotary
motion required for the purposes of grinding is produced in a different manner
from that of other similar roller-mills as heretofore constructed in which the said
differential motion is obtained by means of toothed wheels.
The feeding device for the improved roller-mill is as usual provided with two
separate passages for the material to be ground so that, if required, two different.
kinds of material may be crushed simultaneously by the three rolls without being
mixed up or coming into contact with each other.
The material to be ground by the upper and intermediate rolls B A is fed to the
same by means of a feeding-roller s, Figure 1, and is delivered therefrom when
ground (passing over the box or casing of a centrifugal feed apparatus F) into the
lower hopper or collecting receptacle of the machine.
The said centrifugal feed apparatus F, constructed as described in the said former
specification is arranged in front of the lower pair of rolls, A, C, opposite the
contact surface and receives its rotary motion from any suitable source of power,
but preferably by means of a driving belt and pulley suitably fixed upon the rotary
shaft of the lower roll C. To this centrifugal feed apparatus the material intended
to be crushed by the lower pair of rolls, fed by means of a feeding roller 't
and a conduit u, the latter branching off into two separate conduits, discharging
The material fed
into the centrifugal feed apparatus at opposite ends of the same.
to the said centrifugal feed apparatus is thrown towards the said lower pair. of
rolls, and passing between the latter is delivered into the said collecting hopper
of the machine opposite to where the crushed material from the upper pair of rolls
enters the said hopper.
If the two products from the upper and lower pair of rolls are desired to be kept
apart, a suitable partition-plate may be employed within the said hopper for
dividing the same into halves, as will be well understood.
In order to allow of controlling and adjusting the position of the outside rolls B
and C with regard to the intermediate roll A, and to keep them in their adjusted
positions, or in other words, in order to vary or regulate the distance of the said
outside rolls from the said intermediate rolls according to the size and character
of the material to be ground, supporting wedges v and v¹ are arranged underneath

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the movable bearings of the said outside rolls, and provided with "threaded
extensions carrying the internally threaded worm-wheels 'w, and win gear with
the worms x and x which are capable of being rotated by means of the hand
wheels y and respectively. It will be readily seen that on turning the said
hand-wheels and causing the said worms and worm-wheels to revolve in the
desired direction, the said wedge-shaped supports will be moved either to the left
or to the right and thereby either increasing or reducing the distance between
the said outside rolls, whose bearings they support, and the fixed intermédiate
.roll A..
1
I wish it understood that in carrying my invention into practice I do not strictly
confine myself to the details of construction herein before described as I may modify
¡the same without departing from the nature of my Invention..
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Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the. said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that I claim
in a grinding mill having three rollers
.
First The combination, with the upper and lower rolls, of the flexible endless
belts and tightening or straining devices for the latter, for relieving from undue
strain or pressure, the bearings of the said rolls, substantially as, and for the purpose,,
specified.
Second-The combination, with one pair of rolls, of the centrifugal feed
apparatus F and a conduit or conduits for conducting the grist to the latter, for
establishing a separate feed for each pair of rolls, substantially as, and for the
purpose, specified.
Third: The combination, with the outside rolls connected by means of a flexible
endless belt or flexible belts, of actuating mechanism imparting rotary motion to
the said rolls independently of the motion transmitted to the intermediate roll, for
producing the required differential rotary motion between the said intermediate roll
and the said outside rolls, substantially as, and for the purpose, specified.
Fourth-The combination, with the outside rolls and the flexible endless belts
connecting the same, of the wedge-shaped supports arranged underneath the 3
movable bearings of the said rolls and provided with suitable actuating mechanism
for reciprocating the said supports in order to adjust the positions of the said rolls
with regard to the intermediate roll without thereby interfering with the pressure
exerted upon the said outside rolls by the said flexible belts, substantially as, and
for the purpose, specified.
Fifth The combination, with the flexible endless belt or belts, D, of a tightening
or stretching device consisting of a tightening roller E, levers e and g, spiral spring k
eccentric.h and mechanism for turning the latter, substantially as, and for the
'purpose, specified.
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Sixth: In combination, the outside rolls having pulleys, the flexible endless 4
belts running over the said pulleys, actuating mechanism for imparting independent
rotary motion to the said rolls, the intermediate roll connected with the actuating
mechanism for imparting rotary motion to the said roll independent of the motion
imparted to the said outside rolls, and mechanism for tightening or stretching the
said flexible belts, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
For the Applicant.