IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR AGGLOMERATING COAL AND OTHER SUB- STANCES
Year: 1878

page_text: "t
LETTERS PATENT to Bristow Hunt, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR AGGLOMERATING COAL AND OTHER SUB-
STANCES." A communication from abroad by Gustave Jean Paul Couffinhal,
of Paris, France, Civil Engineer.
Sealed the 15th April 1879, and dated the 25th October 1878.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Bristow Hunt at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 25th October 1878.
BRISTOW HUNT, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR AGGLOMERATING
COAL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES." (A. communication from abroad by Gustave Jean
Paul Couffinhal, of Paris, France, Civil Engineer.)
The subject of this Invention is a machine or apparatus for agglomerating
substances by means of novel and special arrangements of mechanism.
This apparatus may be applied to the agglomeration of coal or other substances.
The machines in general use for this purpose, which produce fairly good results,
are complicated, necessitate a great space, and are always costly.
Usually in these machines the complication of the parts, and sometimes the
uncertainty in the working thereof, render frequent and in some cases heavy repairs
necessary.
The object of the inventor has been to reduce to a minimum the number of pieces
composing the machine so as to have consequently as little keeping in repair as
possible, to obtain always equally good results by means of a pressure regulator,
[Price Bd1

page_text: +
and to assure absolutely the intermittent movement of the moulding plate by a
suitably formed cam, the arrangement of which also allows it to be driven at a
great speed.
It is for the whole arrangement of these new combinations, composing when
working together an agglomerating machine of a special design, which, though of
small-dimensions, effects a great amount of work, and from which results a good
and cheap machine, that Letters Patent are solicited.
The complete apparatus is composed as follows:-A suitable steam engine is fixed
on the agglomerating machine. This steam engine is not of any particular con-
struction; it may be replaced by any driving power.
The shaft of the engine or other power actuates a beam by means of suitable
toothed gearing and a crank pin fixed on one of_the_wheels_
"The extremity of the small arm of a lever compresses at each stroke, by means of
a moulding plunger, the substance contained in each successive matrix formed in a
revolving moulding plate.
The delivery from the mould or matrix is carried on at the same time as the
compression by means of counterbalance levers, and at the matrix diametrically
opposed to that in which the substance is being compressed.
Each brick or block.thus delivered is received on a table just as it falls from its
matrix or mould, and may be thence directed at will without concussion either into
a shoot or on to an endless band.
A pressure regulator comes into action at the moment the moulding plunger
reaches the end of its stroke, and consequently at the moment when the pressure is
greatest (which corresponds with the dead point of the crank pin which actuates
the beam).
This regulator is composed of a piston suitably packed and acting in a hydraulic
cylinder firmly attached to the frame of the apparatus.
This regulator has two valves, one opening outwards from the cylinder and the
other inwards. It will be perceived that if the moulding plunger, while com-
pressing, finds a greater resistance than the proportional resistance which is given
by the water held in the apparatus by the first named suitably arranged safety
valve, this valve will be raised and the piston and beam will rise until the crank
pin has passed the dead point.
The safety valve will then immediately close and the whole will descend by its
own weight.
The piston in descending will draw down the water which had escaped and which
will be returned through the valve opening inwards. It will only be necessary to
regulate suitably the position of the central hole of the beam by means of amall
sliding blocks in order to cause the regulator to act at each oscillation of the beam,
and thus to give a uniform pressure on each brick or block.
This pressure may also be regulated at will by varying the load of the safety
valve by a greater or less tension of the spring.
This arrangement of valves may be replaced by an air reservoir, the pressure of
which would act constantly on the piston. A small pump moved by the moulding
or delivery plunger would produce the compressed air and compensate for any
possible leakage.
In order to produce the intermittent motion of the moulding plate, which should
present successively each of its matrices beneath the moulding and delivery
plungers, two bevilled wheels actuate a vertical shaft which carries a face cam of
suitable form. This can moves the moulding plate by means of pins or rollers
fixed thereon, the number. of which is equal to the number of matrices or moulds,
and causes it to turn for a distance equal to that between the said matrices or
moulds.

page_text: It should here be remarked that at the commencement of the movement the pin
or rollers on the plate is very near the centre of rotation of the cam, the plate is
therefore moved at a comparatively slow speed, which increases during the move-
ment of the plate, and decreases and ceases altogether at the moment when it
should stop.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Bristow Hunt, in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 25th April
* 1879. .
BRISTOW HUNT, of Serle Street, Lincoln's Inn, in the County of Middlesex,
Gentleman. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR AGGLOMERATING
COAL AND OTHER SUBSTANCES." (A. communication. from abroad by Gustave Jean
Paul Couffinhal, of Paris, France, Civil Engineer.).
The subject of this Invention is a machine or apparatus for agglomerating
substances by means of novel and special arrangements of mechanism.
This apparatus may be applied to the agglomeration of coal or other substances.
The machines in general use for this purpose, which produce fairly good results,
are complicated, necessitate a great space, and are always costly.
Usually in these machines the complication of the parts, and sometimes the
uncertainty in the working thereof, render frequent and in some cases heavy repairs
necessary.
•
The object of the inventor has been to reduce to a minimum the number of pieces
composing the machine so as to have consequently as little keeping in repair as
possible, to obtain always equally good results by means of a pressure regulator,
and to assure absolutely the intermittent movement of the moulding plate by a
suitably formed cam, the arrangement of which also allows it to be driven at a
great speed.
It is for the whole arrangement of these new combinations; composing when
working together an agglomerating machine of a special design, which, though of
small dimensions, effects a great amount of work, and from which results a good
and cheap machine, that these Letters Patent have been solicited:
Figure 1 represents a longitudinal section of the apparatus; Figure 2 is a corre-
sponding plan view; Figure 3 shows the front elevation; Figure 4, a transverse
section; and Figure 5, a plan view of the cam plate.
The complete apparatus is composed as follows:-
A suitable steam engine is fixed on the agglomerating machine. This steam.
engine is not of any particular construction; it may be replaced by any driving
power.
The shaft A of the engine or other power actuates a beam C by means of suitable
toothed gearing B and a crank pin D fixed on one of the wheels. The form of the
beam is shown at Figure 4.
The extremity of the small arm of a lever compresses at each stroke, by means of

page_text: a moulding plunger E, the substance contained in each successive matrix formed in
a revolving moulding plate F.
The delivery from the mould or matrix is carried on at the same time as the
compression by means of counterbalance levers G, and at the matrix diametrically
opposed to that in which the substance is being compressed.
Each brick or block thus delivered is received on a table T just as it falls from
its matrix or mould, and may be thence directed at will without concussion either
into a shoot or on to an endless band.
A pressure regulator comes into action at the moment the moulding plunger
reaches the end of its stroke, and consequently at the moment when the pressure is
greatest (which corresponds with the dead- point of the crank pin which actuates
the beam).
This regulator is composed of a piston H suitably_packed_and_acting_in_a_|
hydraulic-cylinder-I-firmly attached to the frame J of the apparatus.
This regulator has two valves K and L, one opening outwards from the cylinder
and the other inwards. It will be perceived that if the moulding plunger, while
compressing, finds a greater resistance than the proportional resistance which is
given by the water held in the apparatus by the first-named suitably arranged
safety valve K, this valve will be raised, and the piston H. and beam C will rise
until the crank pin has passed the dead point. The safety valve K will then
immediately close and the whole will descend by its own weight.
The hydraulic piston H in descending will draw down the water which had
escaped, and which will be returned through the valve L opening inwards. It will
only be necessary to regulate suitably the position of the central hole of the beam
by means of small sliding blocks M in order to cause the regulator to act at each
oscillation of the beam, and thus to give a uniform pressure on each brick or block.
This pressure may also be regulated at will by varying the load of the safety
valve K by a greater or less tension of the spring N.
This arrangement of valves may be replaced by an air reservoir, the pressure of
which would act constantly on the piston H. A small pump moved by the
moulding or delivering plunger would produce the compressed air and compensate
for any possible leakage.
In order to produce the intermittent motion of the moulding plate, which should
present successively each of its matrices beneath the moulding and delivering
plungers, two bevilled wheels O actuate a vertical shaft P which carries a face
cam Qand conductor plate of suitable form (see Figure 5). This cam moves the
moulding plate by means of pins or rollers R fixed thereon, the number of which is
equal to the number of matrices or moulds, and causes it to turn for a distance
equal to that between the said matrices or moulds.
It should here be remarked that at the commencement of the movement the pin
or rollers on the plate is very near the centre of rotation of the cam, the plate is
therefore moved at a comparatively slow speed, which increases during the move-
ment of the plate, and decreases and ceases altogether at the moment when it
should stop.
This arrangement permits of the attainment of a number of blows superior to
what can be obtained by most agglomerating machines. The intermittent displace-
ment of the moulding plate takes place during one-fourth of the duration of the
revolution of the face cam Q. The form of the latter is such that the pins or
rollers actuated thereby become forcibly engaged in the grooves made in the
conductor, follow exactly the movement which it imparts, or remain tangents to
the exterior of the plate, which thus fixes the moulding plate immovably during
the whole time of moulding and discharge.
The shaft carrying the conductor may, if prolonged, serve to drive the mixer or
pug mill, which feeds the apparatus as shown in the Drawing.
Having now described the nature and object of the said Invention, together with
the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into practical

page_text: effect, I would reinark in conclusion that what I claim as the Invention communi-
cated to me by the aforesaid Gustave Jean Paul Couffinhal is,—
The above described improvements in and arrangements of machinery or
apparatus as applied to agglomerating machines, of which the particular advantages
are as follows:-
Considerable simplification of the mechanism or apparatus, certainty of action,
possibility of working at a great speed, regularity of the product and great
economy of production, because with a relatively small weight of mechanism, a
powerful machine is obtained capable of producing a large amount of work.
In witness whereof, I, the said Bristow Hunt, have hereunto set my hand and
seal, this Twenty-fifth day of April, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and seventy-nine.
BRISTOW HUNT. (L.S.)