Improvements in Apparatus for Reducing and Pulverizing Mineral Fuel and other Materials to Powder, and for Supplying the same Mixed with Air to Furnaces.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Dec., 1889-Accepted, 14th June, 1890
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Reducing and Pulverizing Mineral
Fuel and other Materials to Powder, and for Supplying the same
Mixed with Air to Furnaces.
A communication from abroad by JOHN JAMES BORDMAN, of 78, Hicks Street,
Brooklyn, King's County, State of New York, United States, Mechanical
Engineer.
I, WILLIAM PHILLIPS THOMPSON, F.C.S., M.I.M.E., of the Agency for Foreign
Patent Solicitors, 6 Lord Street Liverpool and 6 Bank Street, Manchester both
in the County of Lancaster & 323 High Holborn in the County of Middlesex,
Civil Engineer, 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 Invention relates to improvements in machines for reducing and pulverizing
mineral and other fuels and for supplying the same mixed with air sufficient to ensure
combustion to all classes of furnaces used in all varieties of economic purposes, and
generally for pulverizing all other materials; and the object of the invention is to
supply a cheaper and more efficient machine for pulverizing all kinds of materials
than has, heretofore, been possible.
The invention will be best understood by reference to the accompanying two sheets
of drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of the machine, showing side walls
of the machine, and of the hopper, partly broken away. Figure 2, a cross section of
the blowing compartment on the line 2-2 of Figure 1; Figure 3, an end view of the
machine, showing the air passage partly broken away; Figure 4, an end view of the
machine showing part of the mechanism for adjusting the fan blades, Figure 5, a
detail view of the mechanism for adjusting the fan blades shown in Figure 1;
Figures 6 and 7 an alternative method of adjusting the fan blades; Figure 8, two
views showing the construction of the feed rollers; Figure 9, a side elevation of the
machine, with a portion of the upper half of the shell broken away; Figure 10, a
reversed plan view of the upper half of the shell; Figure 11, a detail view of the
beaters, and Figures 12 and 13, views of the method of attaching the lining to the
shell and closing the two portions of the latter, as well as of certain features of
the mechanism for attaching the beaters. Similar letters refer to similar parts,
throughout the several views."
The machine is made in the form of a hollow cylinder composed of two hollow
sections, A¹ and A². This cylinder will vary in diameter according to the size of the
machine. The end walls of the machine are parallel planes. The machine and its
various parts are made of cast iron or any other convenient material, and the walls
may be of any convenient thickness. The cylinder is made in two horizontal sections,
placed upon each other as shown in the views. The lower section, A2, is formed with
the legs or standards S, at either end, and a flange, e', upon its upper surface, upon
which rests a corresponding flange e, formed upon the lower face of the upper section,
as shown in the views. The two sections are held together by the devices shown in
detail in Figures 9, 10, 12, and 13.
The section A2, is cast with two or more pairs of lugs, 62 62, upon its rear edge, as
shown in Figures 9, 12 and 13, and the upper section, A¹, with two or more horizontal
lugs, at a, provided with an opening, a, therein, which receives the bolts b¹ b¹, which
are swivelled in the lugs 62 62, upon the flange of the lower section, by the bolts 63 6³,
around which they are free to rotate. The bolts 6' 6', terminate in bevelled pro-
jecting heads, 6 64, which come in contact with the surface of the lower shell A³,
when the upper shell is opened, and serve to hold the latter at any desired angle. The
bolts 61 61, are each provided with the screw nuts 6 b; by screwing which down on

page_text: "he bolts, the two portions of the cylinder are securely held together. On the front
face of the cylinder, the two sections which compose it are secured in a substantially
similar manner. The lugs at a are, however, replaced by the open lugs as a³, as
shown in Figures 10, 12 and 13, provided with the openings a³, for receiving the
bolts c² e², which bolts are swivelled in lugs or bearings c¹ c¹, cast on the upper edge
of the lower half of the shell A2, and rotate on the pins c c. These bolts are not
provided with a projecting head, and are released from the lugs as as, by means of
the screw nuts c³ c³, which screw over their extremities cc, as shown in Figures 12
and 13.
In this way the joint formed by the flanges e and e¹, of the sections A¹ and A², may
be made more or less tight either in front or rear, by screwing the nuts b b and c³ ³
up or down.
When it is desired to open the cylinder, the nuts c³ ³ are slacked and the
bolts released, the nuts bb are slacked, and the upper half A¹ of the cylinder
rotated upward around the hinge joint formed by the pins 63 63 in the lugs 2 62. In
order to facilitate the maintenance of a perfectly tight joint between the two parts
of the shell, either or both of the flanges e and e¹, but preferably the flange e, are
provided with a dovetailed groove, or indentation, on its upper surface, which is filled
with a packing, as shown in Figures 10, 12 and 13, of gutta percha or other suitable
material, the outer surface of which packing is firmly pressed against the surface of
the flange e, on the section A2, when the nuts b b and c c³, are screwed down on the
bolts b¹¹, c² ². This packing may be readily renewed and replaced if the same
becomes worn out.
The interior of the machine is divided by the diaphragm, D, into two separate
compartments; a blowing compartment C, and a pulverizing compartment C, of any
convenient size with reference to each other. The diaphragm D is provided at its
centre with a circular opening d, for the passage of the material from one compart-
ment to the other. The interior of the pulverizing compartment C is lined with a
lining of sheet metal made in two sections as shown in Figures 12 and 13. The
lining is attached to the shell of the machine by means of the bolts w passing through
the same. provided on their ends with the screw nuts w¹; the heads w² of these bolts
are made curved, both interiorly and exteriorly, as shown in Figure 12, and the
lining is cupped to receive the inner curved surface of the heads, and the inner
surface of the shell is countersunk around the openings through which the bolts pass,
so as to receive the cupped portion of the lining as shown in that Figure. In this
way, an almost smooth surface is presented to the material to be pulverized, and the
thickness of the lining around the bolt heads is not diminished.
Through the centre of the cylinder, and consequently through the opening d in the
diaphragin, passes a horizontal shaft E, which passes out through the openings E¹ E',
formed in the end walls of the shell, and is supported upon the exterior bearings B B,
made of anti-friction metal, which bearings are carried upon the brackets B' B¹,
attached to the vertical end walls of the machine. The shaft, E, may be of any con-
venient diameter, but must have sufficient strength to carry the rotary beaters I I
and the fans FF; and the bearings and the brackets B, B¹, will vary in size according
to the size of the pulverizer and the weight of the rotary blowing fan F, and the
rotary beaters.
The pulverizing compartment C contains any number of sets of rotary beaters
according to its length, arranged as shown in the drawings, which shows a pulverizing
compartment containing two sets of beaters. Any number of rotary beaters may be
arranged radially around the shaft E in each; but in practice four in each set will be
found most convenient, as shown in the views. In the pulverizing compartment C,
the rotary beaters I, I, I, etcetera, are mounted rigidly upon the shaft and with their
flat surfaces parallel to the axis of rotation of the same. Figures 11 and 13, show in
detail the method of securing one set of beaters.
In these views, i represents a collar or hub, provided with a flange, which is
keyed in any convenient manner to the shaft E. The arms which carry the heaters
are designated by the letter ³, and are of the peculiar shape shown in Figure 13. At

page_text: their inner extremities they terminate in short cross-heads k¹, as shown, and are
bevelled to fit a mortised groove k of corresponding shape, in the flange of the
collar i. They are attached to the collar by means of the screw bolts 2 13. At the
onter extremity, the radial arms ³ terminate in the cylindrical heads, upon which
the rectangular cross heads, formed in a single piece are placed, being provided
with the bevelled edges shown in the views. The shoes I of the beaters have counter-
sunken faces with bevelled edges, as particularly shown in Figure 13, so that webs are
formed on the periphery of the shoes, the latter being fastened to the cross heads by
means of the bolts, provided with the head 28 and securely held in place by the screw
nut. When the cross heads are bolted to the radial arms, the bevelled edges of the
cross heads, i, fit into the corresponding edges of the countersunken faces, and so
prevent all twisting or turning of the cross-heads on the arms. When the front faces,
or the webs of the shoes become worn, the bolts can be unscrewed and the shoes turned
over and a fresh surface exposed to the wear of grinding; thus saving the necessity
of using new shoes each time that the grinding surface becomes worn down.
The compartment C¹ contains the rotary blowing fan F, which is mounted upon the
shaft E, and the blades of which are so arranged as to be adjustable at any angle, to
the axis of the main shaft, as shown in Figures 1, 2, and 5, or laterally, adjustable at
any angle, to the axis of the main shaft, as shown in Figures 6 and 7.
In Figures 1 and 2, F represents the fan blades, of which there are two, but there
may be at least four. Each of these is hinged, on the pivot f, to the radial arms f³,
cast in one piece with the hub F1 by means of the lug f, cast upon its rear face. The
bub F is keyed in its turn to the main driving shaft E by means of the key p. At
the inner edge of each fan blade is cast a projecting piece f7, Figure 1, which is
hinged by the lever f³ to an arm f³ cast upon an independently rotating collar F³,
rotating upon the shaft E, and surrounding an interior fixed shoulder F³.
By rotating the collar F³ on the shaft, the angular inclination of the fan blades will
be varied, as shown by the dotted lines in Figure 2. In order to rotate this collar F³,
an independent interior sleeve F2 may be employed. This latter sleeve surrounds and
rotates on the shaft E, but, at the same time, rotates freely within the collar F³, which
is held in place by the independent fixed collar F. The collar F3 is provided, as
shown in the views, with an inclined slot g', in which a stud g, fixed in the periphery
of the collar F2, is arranged to slide freely. The sleeve F2 extends outward around
the shaft E, through the opening E' in the end walls of the machine, and terminates
in a loose strap, as shown in Figures 1 and 4, working in a groove on the sleeve, to
which the extremities of the double forked lever h h are attached by means of the
pivots . The lever his pivoted on the arm B' at 2, and its lower extremity /³
partially encircles and is moved on the stationary screw rod * by turning the screw
nuts. By setting these nuts at any given point on the screw rod *, the collar F
is caused to slide on the shaft E, and the sleeve F³ is rotated by the engagement of
the stud g in the slot gl. To prevent lateral movement, and to limit the play of the
sleeve F, an additional stud 92 is placed on the driving shaft E, and a straight slot g³
is provided in the sleeve F2. The driving shaft E is driven at either end by means of
a belt passing over the pulley E2 from any suitable source of power.
When a lateral adjustment of the fan blades is desired, the alternative form of
adjustment shown in Figures 6 and 7 may be used. In these views, L represents one
of the fan blades, L² a collar on the driving shaft provided with arms having bearings n²,
in which the radial arms L¹ of the fan blades rotate. The inner extremity of each
arm carries a segment of gearing I, which meshes into a gearing wheel 12, cast on the
inner end of a sleeve L³, which encircles the driving shaft E. The sleeve L³ is
provided with a slot n', running in a direction at an angle to the axis of rotation of
the shaft E, and within which slides a stud n inserted in a slot in the upper surface of
the shaft E. The slot n¹ is composed of two portions, one parallel with the axis
of rotation, and the other, slightly inclined thereto. The stud n is connected with the
sliding sleeve F, moved by the forked lever ', in the same manner as the corre-.
sponding sleeve F in Figures 1 and 5. By sliding the collar F* on the shaft E, the
tongue n, is moved into the inclined portion of the slot n', and the spur gear 12, 1,

page_text: revolved, so causing the blades to be more or less inclined according as the spur
gear 12, 1, is rotated.
In order to supply the necessary amount of air to the machine, to be mixed with
the pulverized material, in case the machine is used for pulverizing coal or other fuel,
an air passage, O, is provided at either end, as shown in Figures 1, 3 and 4. This
passage takes up its air at the periphery of the machine, where a valve, O¹, is
provided, for regulating the amount of air admitted. The object of using this passage
is, to feed the air to the centre of the machine, to secure perfect regulation of the air
passing through the machine, by means of valves, to increase the draught, and at the
same time to permit of the air being taken up as far from the rotating mechanism as
possible.
The air passage enters the cylinder at the point marked by the arrow head
in Figure 3, directly under and adjacent to, or if necessary, around the shaft E. The
discharge from the machine is effected by means of the tangential discharge pipe K,
opening from the blowing compartment C, and provided on its exterior face with a
flange K, for facilitating the connection between it and the pipe or other receptacle
into which the discharge is effected.
The material to be supplied to the machine is subjected to a preliminary crushing
by the feed rolls T T placed in the hopper H. The mouth of the hopper is designated
by H2, and it is cut off at times from the hopper proper, as may be desired, by the
sliding gate H2, sliding in grooves between the flanges H³ H³. The hopper proper is
designated by H, and is provided, on its front face, with a door H¹ whereby access
may be obtained to the interior. Below the feed rolls T T, the hopper terminates in
an inclined pipe H, entering the cylinder at the point U, through which the material,
fed by the feed rolls T T, falls.
The rolls are driven intermittently by means of an arrangement of devices shown
in Figure 3. The roll shafts terminate in the spindles, each of which carries a
spur wheel R R' with the teeth r r. The spur wheel R' on the shaft of the left hand
feed roll is driven from right to left by a weighted pawl s pivoted at s to the bell
crank S. The spur wheel R, on the shaft of the right hand feed roll, is driven from
left to right by a weighted pawl s pivoted at s to the same bell crank S7. A rocking
motion is imparted to the bell crank s by means of a connecting rod m³, connecting
with the crank disc G'. The lower extremity of the rod m³ is pivoted to a sliding
piece m', which can be moved laterally in the slot m in the crank disc G. This
sliding piece can be fixed in any desired position by means of the screw nut m². The
crank disc G¹ rotates upon the shaft G, which can be driven from the main shaft or
any other source of power. The connection between the bell crank s and the
connecting rod m³ is made by means of the sliding thumb screw connection s³, which
slides in the slots upon the end of the bell crank s. By turning the handle of the
thumb screws, the connecting rod may be connected with the bell crank at any
desired point. The left hand feed roll, driven by the spur wheel R¹, is arranged to
slide laterally in movable bearings, so as to be made to approach or recede from the
other roll. The spindle ¹ of the roll is journalled in the sliding box 2, which box is
moved by means of the screw provided with the screw head 7. By turning the
screw head 75, the left hand roll is caused to approach to or recede from the right
hand roll, any desired distance, and is firmly set in each position.
When the crank disc G₁ rotates upon the shaft G, the connecting rod m³ rises or
falls with the disc, and raises or depresses the end of the bell crank s".
The raising or lowering of this end of the shaft s causes the pawls s and s³, to
engage alternately with the cogs of the wheel R' and R, thereby giving a peculiar
alternating motion to each of the feed rolls T T causing the particles between them to
be fed to the machine at any desired rate of speed.
The speed of the crushing rolls can be varied by varying the speed of the shaft G.
The form of feed rolls employed is of the shape shown in Figure 8. Each roll is made
up of separate segments t, t2, t2, all fixed on the same shaft, which may be replaced
from time to time as they wear down, without replacing the entire rolls.
The rolls, if made with indentations or teeth, may be provided with an odd number

page_text: of teeth, and are mounted upon a square shaft passing through square openings in
their centre, as shown in Figure 8. By this construction, it is possible to turn every
second section, t², composing the rolls, on the central shaft in such a way that a tooth
in one section will come next to an indentation in the other section, and so compose
what is called a "Staggered" surface on the periphery of the rolls, which at times
materially increases the efficacy of the same. In case the segments of the rolls are
made with an even number of teeth, the same effect may be produced by re-arranging
the openings through them for the shaft, in such a manner that the angles formed by
the sides of the opening with the periphery of the segment, shall be different in each
segment or alternate pairs of segments.
The grooves t¹, t, on the surface of the rolls as well as the teeth, may be of any
shape, but preferably, however, of the shape shown in Figure 8. In Figure 1, the
seginents composing the feed rolls are not shown, on account of the smallness of the
scale.
The method of operation of the machine will be obvious from the foregoing
description. The material to be pulverized, is fed into the hopper H in suitable
quantities; falls upon the feed rolls and is sized by them to a certain extent, and
enters the machine at U together with a certain amount of air, and is immediately
taken up by the rotary beaters I I which revolve at a high rate of speed, and is
reduced by them to an impalpable powder. The rotary blowing fans F F or LL
cause the currents of air which enter the machine at the points OO to rotate rapidly,
and to carry with them the particles of pulverized material, and discharge them at the
periphery of the machine through the discharge pipe K.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to me
by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In a machine such as set forth in the title, the combination substantially as
hereinbefore set forth, with the pulverizing chamber of a blowing compartment
containing a rotary shaft having radial arms thereon, and fan blades pivoted thereto,
a rotating sleeve on said shaft, extending outward and through the end walls of
the machine connected by levers with the fan blades for varying the inclination of
the blades to the axis of rotation from the outside of the machine without removing
the shell, and means substantially as described for moving and holding said
sleeve.
2. In a machine such as set forth in the title, the combination substantially as
hereinbefore set forth, with the pulverizing chamber, of a blowing compartment,
having in its interior a rotary fan, composed of one or more radial arms, carried on
a shaft rotating therein, a fan blade, pivoted to each said arm, and a projecting arm
on the inner edge of said blade, a rotating collar on said shaft, provided with an
inclined slot, radial arms on said collar, pivotally connected to the projecting arms
upon the fan blades, a hollow sleeve surrounding the driving shaft, projecting at one
end into the interior of said collar, and provided on its upper surface with a stud,
engaging with said slot, and projecting at the other end outward through the end
walls of the cylinder, and means substantially as described, whereby said sleeves are
moved longitudinally on the driving shaft and the inclination of the fan blades is
correspondingly changed.
3. In a machine such as set forth in the title, the combination with the end
compartment of an air duct for admitting air thereto, formed upon the end wall of
said compartment and terminating at its inner extremity within the compartment at
or near the centre of the same, and at its outer extremity at or near the periphery
of the machine.
4. In a machine such as set forth in the title, the combination with the end
compartment, of an air duct for admitting air thereto, formed upon the end wall of
said compartment, and terminating at its inner extremity within the compartment at
or near the centre of the same, and at its outer extremity at or near the periphery

page_text: of the machine, and a valve in said duct, for regulating the amount of air admitted
thereto.
5. In a machine, such as set forth in the title, the combination substantially as
herein before set forth, with the end compartiment of an air duct cast in one piece
with said compartment, upon the outer wall of the same, and terminating at its
inner extremity within the compartment at or near the centre of the same, and at its
outer extremity at or near the periphery of the machine, and a valve in said duct,
for regulating the amount of air admitted thereto.
6. In a machine such as set forth in the title, the combination substantially as
herein before set forth, with the blowing compartment, of a rotary shaft, carrying one
or more radial arms, a fan blade pivoted to each of said arms, and connected by
pivoted lovers with a sliding collar provided with an inclined slot upon said shaft,
whereby the inclination of the blades is varied, a double forked lever pivoted to the
exterior of the machine, one fork of which encircles the sleeve and actuates the
same, and a stationary rod upon the exterior of the machine, which the other fork of
said lever encircles, and screw nuts on said rod for actuating and holding said lever,
substantially as described.
7. In a machine such as set forth in the title, the combination substantially as
herein before set forth, with the feeding hopper, of a pair of crushing rolls in the
interior of the same, a gear wheel outside of the hopper, upon the extremity of the
shaft of each roll, a pair of weighted pawls, engaging with and actuating each gear
wheel, a bell crank to which said pawls are pivoted, a rotary crank disc, actuated
from a suitable source of power, and a connecting rod, connecting the extremity of
the bell crank with the crank disc.
8. In a machine such as set forth in the title, the combination substantially as
herein before set forth, with the feeding hopper, of a pair of crushing rolls in the
interior of the same, a gear wheel outside of the hopper, upon the extremity of the
shaft of each roll, a pair of weighted pawls, engaging with and actuating each gear
wheel, a bell crank to which said pawls are pivoted, a rotating crank disc actuated
from a suitable source of power, a connecting rod connecting the same with the
bell crank, and means substantially as described for varying the vibration of the
bell crank.
9. In a machine such as set forth in the title the combination substantially as
herein before set forth, with the feed hopper, of the crushing rolls in the interior of
said hopper, the gear wheels R R¹ upon the axes of the feed rolls, the pivoted
pawls ss engaging with the teeth rr of the gear wheels, the bell crank s with the
adjusting link and the thumb screws, the connecting rod m³ engaging with the
bell crank s', the crank disc G¹ rotating on the shaft, the groove m in the crank disc,
and the screw nut m² for setting and holding the connecting rod at any point
therein, and means for imparting motion to the crank disc, substantially as
described.
10. In a machine such as set forth in the title, the combination with the upper
section of the shell, of the open lugs a³ on one side, and the perforated ears a* upon
the other, the bolts c² ², passing through the former, and the bolts & passing through
the latter, swivelled to the lower section, and the screw nuts upon the bolts, for
adjusting the two parts of the shell to each other.
11. In a machine such as set forth in the title, the combination with the outer shell,
of an interior lining containing openings, the edges of which are bent in to receive
bolt heads, corresponding openings in the outer shell, through which said bolts pass,
cupped or countersunk on the inner surface of the shell to fit the cupping of the
lining, and bolts provided with rounded heads, in the interior of the machine, passing
through said openings and secured by screw nuts on the outside of the machine, for
the purposes set forth.
12. In a machine such as set forth in the title, the combination with the flanged
collar upon the driving shaft of the machine, of radial arms provided with beaters
upon their extremities, terminating in bevelled cross heads, bevelled mortises of the

page_text: same shape in the flange of said collar, into which the extremities and cross heads
are fitted, and bolts for fastening said arms to the collar, substantially as described.
13. In a machine such as set forth in the title, the combination with each of the
radial arms of the beaters, of a rectangular and bevelled cross head, at the extremity
of the radial arm, a shoe provided with countersunk faces, bevelled on their edges,
into which said cross head fits, and a bolt passing through the shoe and cross head
for securing the former to the latter.
14. In a machine such as set forth in the title, the combination with the radial
arms of the cross head 7, with the bevelled rectangular faces 6, the shoes I
provided with rectangular countersunk faces arranged to fit the faces, on the cross
heads, and the bolts with the heads 8, and the screw nuts i for securing the shoes
to the cross heads.
Dated this 4th day of December 1889.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Agents for the Applicant.