CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING PAPER
Year: 1834

page_text: TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, LEMUEL
WELLMAN WRIGHT, of Sloane Terrace, Chelsea, in the County of Middlesex,
Engineer, send greeting.
WHEREAS His present most Excellent Majesty King William the Fourth,
by His Letters Patent under the Great Seal of Great Britain, bearing date at
Westminster, the Fifteenth day of November, One thousand eight hundred
and thirty-four, in the fifth year of His reign, did, for Himself, His heirs
and successors, give and grant unto me, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright,
His especial licence, that I, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, my executors,
administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said Lemuel Wellman
Wright, my executors, administrators, and assigns, should at any time agree
with, and no others, from time to time and at all times during the term of
years therein mentioned, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and
vend, within England, Wales, and the Town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, an
Invention of "CERTAIN IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR MAKING
PAPER," part of which said Invention was communicated to me by a Foreigner
residing abroad, and improvements made by myself; in which said Letters
Patent is contained a proviso obliging me, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright,
by an instrument in writing under my hand and seal, particularly to describe
and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the
same is to be performed, and to cause the same to be inrolled in His said
Majesty's High Court of Chancery within six calendar months next and
immediately after the date of the said in part recited Letters Patent, as in

page_text: and by the same, reference being thereunto had, will more fully and at large
appear.
NOW KNOW YE, that in compliance with the said proviso, I, the said
Lemuel Wellman Wright, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention,
and the manner in which the same is to be performed, are particularly
described and ascertained in and by the Drawings hereunto annexed, and the
following description thereof (that is to say):
:-
These Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Making Paper,
consist,―
First, in a peculiar mode of constructing the wirework of the moulding
cylinder of a machine for making continuous lengths of paper.
Secondly, in the arrangement of the parts of a paper-making machine in which
the said peculiar construction of moulding cylinder is adapted and made
to operate.
Thirdly, in an apparatus or mode of regulating the flow of the water through
the moulding cylinder, by means of which the quantity or thickness of the
pulp to be deposited upon the surface of the moulding cylinder in the machine
may be determined and any required substance of paper produced.
Fourthly, in the construction of a peculiar apparatus for drying the paper
as it passes from the moulding cylinder and couching roller.
Fifthly, in a mechanical contrivance for cutting the length of paper into
sheets as it passes from the drying apparatus.
And, sixthly, in a mode of making paper upon a revolving moulding cylinder,
in seperate sheets, in connection with a couching cylinder which is coated with
wire cloth and attached to an exhausting apparatus, and drying those sheets
as they pass from the moulding cylinder.
These several improvements are exhibited in the accompanying Drawings,
and will be fully understood by reference thereto, the respective letters pointing
out the same parts in the several Figures. Figure 1 represents the external
appearance of the moulding cylinder before the vellum wire or gauze cloth is
extended over its periphery. In constructing this cylinder, which should be
made of brass in all its parts, several wheels A, A, A, as Figure 2, of from two
to three feet diameter, more or less, are first made fast upon an axle or
shaft B, B, of from one and a half to two and a half inches diameter,
according to the required length of the cylinder. These wheels A I place
upon the axle at from three to four inches apart, to give stability to the ribs
which are to form the cylinder, the two outer wheels being made with strong
flanch rings. When these wheels have been fixed on the shaft longitudinal
wires or round bars a, a, a, of metal, about one quarter of an inch in diameter,
are attached to the outer parts of the rims of the wheels, parallel to each other,

page_text: and in the direction of the axle, at about a quarter of an inch apart. The
rods a bear in notches in the peripheries of the wheels A, their ends being
passed through holes in the end flange rings, and they are drawn tight
by screw nuts b, b, b, at the outside of the flange rings. These ribs a, a, a,
having been secured to the flange rings, and thereby made to form a cylindrical
cage, a continuous wire, about the sixteenth of an inch in diameter, is then
tightly wound round the periphery of the cylinder in the direction of a spiral
or screw, in order to hold the longitudinal bars firmly in their places in the
notches of the peripheries of the wheels. Over this spiral wire round the
cylinder is to be a covering of woven wire or wire cloth, having about fifteen
meshes in the inch, which wire cloth is to be fastened in the usual way of
securing wire cloths upon paper-making cylinders, and over this wire cloth a
covering is to be put of fine vellum wire cloth, adapted to the kind of paper
intended to be made; one end of this cylinder is to be closed water-tight, the
other end being open for the free passage of the water between the arms. A
cylinder, constructed as described, is represented in connection with a machine
for making a continuous sheet of paper at Figure 3, which is a longitudinal
elevation of the machine, with the drying and cutting apparatus. Figure 4 is a
plan or horizontal view of the same, the coucher and some other rollers being
removed, and part of the standards shewn in section. Figure 5 is a longi-
tudinal elevation of the same. The moulding cylinder C is mounted in the
vat D, D, D, D, the end of its axle turning in plummer blocks fixed on the
edges of the vat. Paper pulp prepared in the usual way is to be supplied to
the vat, and kept at one uniform heighth during the operation of making paper
by the ordinary means, the moulding cylinder being immersed to the depth of
about half its diameter in the pulp. The open end of the cylinder is made to
work water-tight against the side of the vat by means of a circular projection
bead c, c, on the face of the flange ring, which works against a semicircular
brass ring d, d, fixed fixed to the inner side of the vat. This is more evidently
shewn in the detached horizontal section of a portion of the vat of the cylinder
at Figure 6. The reason of packing one end of the cylinder and closing the
other end is, that no water shall pass from the vat into the cylinder, except
through the wire cloth round its periphery. Near the lower part of the semicir-
cular packing ring an aperture e is made through the vat to the discharging
trough E, E, which aperture communicates with the interior of cylinder for
the purpose of drawing the water therefrom. This aperture has a sluice,
shutter, or cock to limit the flow of the water from within, and thereby to
regulate the hydraulic pressure on the outer or moulding surface of the
cylinder. The moulding cylinder is intended to revolve in the direction of

page_text: the arrow; it is moved by the friction of the travelling endless web of
felt ffff passed round the coucher roller F, between the pressing rollers
G, G, and over the driving cylinder H, which actuates the whole. This
driving cylinder and the pressing rollers may be put in motion by wheel gear
or straps applied to a rigger on the end of its axle. The pressing rollers are
adjusted by screws g, for the purpose of giving any required pressure to the
paper as it passes between them on the endless web. The coucher roller F is
a cylinder equal in length to that of the moulding cylinder; its axle is
mounted in jointed arms or levers attached to standards I, the. roller turning
freely on its pivot, and pressing down the felt upon the moulding cylinder by
its gravity. As the travelling endless felt gives rotary motion to the coucher
roller and to the moulding cylinder the end of the paper must be first led
from the moulding cylinder and brought in contact with the felt upon the
coucher roller, and as they continue travelling the paper will be carried
forward to the pressing rollers and then to the drying. The water discharged
from the inside of the moulding cylinder at e by the adjustable sluice or cock
flows along the channel or trough E to a wheel on the opposite side of the vat,
where a bucket wheel K, on the end of the shaft of the moulding cylinder,
returns into the vat such a quantity of the discharged water as may be
required to keep the pulp in a proper state of fluidity; the water retained in the
well for the purpose of being raised into the vat again may be regulated by
discharging cock at bottom of the well. The drying apparatus consists of a
series of rollers mounted upon axles, as shewn in Figures 3 and 5, which are
driven by an endless band i, i, i, i, from the pulley h on the shaft of the main
driving cylinder. The two rollers k, k, which lead the paper to the cutting
apparatus are coupled by gearing wheels 1, and a pulley m, on the axle of the
upper roller carries an endless band n, n, n, n, which embraces the pullies on
the axles of all the carrier rollers 0, 0, 0, 0, and drives them in the proper
directions for conducting the paper from the endless felt to the cutting appa-
ratus. The paper passed by the endless felt between the pressing rollers is
taken off by hand, and is then led over and under the several rollers 0, 0, 0, 0, 0,
of the drying apparatus in the first instance by strings or straps, and after
having been so conducted it continues passing regularly as it advances over and
under the rollers in the manner shewn, and between the leading roller k, k, to
the flat table L of the cutting apparatus. The drying of the paper is effected
by a current of hot air passed through the box or casing intended to enclose
this part of the apparatus, which is left open at top and bottom in order to
produce a free circulation of the hot air, and escape of the damp vapour.
The paper having been dried and advanced on to the flat table L, a cutter

page_text: blade p is made to fall upon it as it passes the edge of the table, which severs
the sheet. This cutter blade p is fixed to the top of the two vertical bars of a
sliding frame N, N, N, which moves up and down in staples; and this frame
is raised and depressed by means of two levers O, O, one on each side of the
machine. The fulcrums of these levers O are in the upright standards, the
ends of the shorter arms of the levers passing through mortices at r in the
vertical bars N, and the reverse ends, that is, the extremities of the longer arms
of these levers carry antifriction rollers P, which run upon the peripheries of
suitable cam wheels Q, fixed on the main axle H. It will hence be perceived
that as the main axle goes round, the cams will raise the longer arms of the
levers O, and consequently bring down the frame N with the cutter blade p at
intervals, which blade acting against the steel edge of the flat table L, will cut
the paper into such lengths or sheets as the cam wheel may be designed
to produce. If the length of the moulding cylinder is greater than the
required width of the paper to be produced, ribbons or thin bands of some
fibrous material may be fastened round the moulding cylinder for the purpose
of covering a portion of the wirework, and contracting the width of the paper,
or separating the paper as it is moulded into strips of any required width.
The method of forming paper into seperate sheets upon rotary moulding
cylinder, and of drying those sheets as they are produced, is shewn in the
Drawings at Figure 7, which is a longitudinal elevation of the machine;
Figure 8 is a plan or horizontal view of the same. The construction of the
moulding cylinders will be the same as above described, the outer wire cloth
being either of that description suited to the production of what is called wove
paper or of laid paper. In order to mould the paper into distinct sheets,
the periphery of the moulding cylinder must be divided by bands of thin
filament fixed round it, as before described, and also similar bands placed in
longitudinal directions at suitable distances apart, for the purpose of dividing
the periphery of the cylinder into spaces corresponding to the dimensions of the
required sheets, as it must be obvious that the pulp will not form upon those
parts where the interstices of the wire cloth is covered. The moulding cylinder
being so prepared, it is mounted, as before, in the pulp vat, as shewn at C,
in Figures 7 and 8, and is worked in the way described in reference to
Figures 3, 4, 5, and 6. On the upper part of the periphery of the moulding
cylinder a couching cylinder R, covered with fine woven wire cloth, is made to
bear by its axle being suspended in arms or levers connected by pivots to a stan-
dard, as shewn in the Drawings. This cylinder is formed by uniting four hollow
segments or quadrant chambers, and attaching them to arms extending from
the axle. These chambers are made air-tight, excepting through the wire cloth

page_text: covering by which the paper is to be couched, and a small opening s into each
of the chambers at the end of the cylinder. A segment plate S (shewn by
dots) having a long groove or recess in it, is mounted so as to rub upon and
fix tightly against the face of the quadrant chambers at the end of the cylinder.
From this recess in the segment plate S a communication is made through a
pipe or channel T, for the purpose of applying an exhausting apparatus at the
aperture t. It will now be perceived, that as the couching cylinder revolves,
the moment any one of the openings s come opposite to the recess of the
segment plate S, the operation of the exhausting apparatus will cause the air
to be drawn from the interior of that segment chamber which the hole com-
municates with; and the effect of this will be a partial vacuum within the
chamber, which will cause the sheet of paper to be drawn from the surface of
the moulding cylinder on to that of the couching cylinder, where it will be
held until it reaches the endless web roller U. At this point the endless felt
takes the sheet off the couching roller, and conducts it between the pressing
rollers to the drying apparatus. In this way, as the moulding and couching
cylinders revolve together, the sheets of paper, in succession, will be taken
from the moulding cylinder, and carried forward to the drying apparatus.
The endless felt is extended round the roller U, and also round the cylinder H,
on the main driving axle, the rotation of which cylinder causes the endless
felt f, f, f, to bring the paper forward until it is seperated from the felt by the
sharp edge of an inclined flat plate of steel, which conducts the sheet to a
pair of pinching or holding rollers u, v. These pinching rollers u, v, are
mounted in pairs, their axles turning in two endless chains V, V, V, extended
over two pair of notched wheels W, W, W, W, which turn on axles supported
by the wooden frame. The axles of the lower rollers v of each pair form the
bolts of the links of the chains. The axles of the upper rollers turn in brass
boxes capable of sliding in the slots of the links, having small spiral springs in
the slots to keep them down. The upper roller u must be raised at the
moment that the sheet of paper passes down the inclined plane j, in order that
it may be taken hold of and pinched between the two rollers u, v. This is
effected by a sliding bar w, which is projected forward by a cam on the
wheel X, fixed to the main driving axle of II. The end of this bar has an
inclined plane or wedge-shaped end, which, by passing beneath the axle of the
upper roller u, raises it and allows the paper to slide in between the two rollers.
On the cam of the wheel X leaving the end of the sliding bar w, the bar is forced
back again to its former position by a spring; and the two rollers u, v, come
together, and hold the sheet of paper firmly. In order to draw the sheet
forward from the inclined plaue j, the two rollers u, v, are made to turn by

page_text: means of the friction of a sliding piece attached to the bar Y. An anti-
friction roller at the end of this bar is acted upon by cams on the wheel Z,
fixed upon the axle of the driving shaft II, by the rotation of which cam wheel
the bar is moved forward, and may be slidden back again by a spring on a
weighted cord. From the under part of the bar Y the friction piece y, shewn
by dots, extends, which, in advancing, rubs against the edge of the disc,
fixed on the end of the axle of the upper roller u, and by its friction turns the
roller, and causes the sheet of paper to be passed forward. There is a guide e*
for the purpose of depressing the bar Y on its return, in order to liberate the
friction piece y from the disc z. A pin in the inner side of the bar Y works in
the long slot of the guide e", which has a central bearing for the pin to slide
upon in advancing, but it passes beneath this central bearing in returning.
When one sheet of paper has been taken from the endless felt, and pinched
between a pair of rollers u, v, in the endless chain, must be moved upward
for the purpose of bringing a second pair of rollers u, v, into the same situation,
which is effected by a bent lever a, a, having a pendant latch hook 6* at
its lower end, taking hold of the end of the axle of one of the rollers v. This
bent lever a has an antifriction roller attached to it, which is acted upon
by the cams of a wheel fixed on the before-mentioned main driving shaft H.
It will hence be perceived, that as the cams d go round, they will, at the
required periods, raise the bent lever a*, and cause the successive pairs of
rollers u, v, to be brought up to take hold of the several sheets of paper as
they are conducted forward by the endless felt in the way described. As the
endless chains, with the rollers u, v, holding the sheets of paper, are gradually
raised on one side, the friction discs, which are to be fixed at the end of
every one of the rollers u, (but some of them are omitted in the Figure) (the fric-
tion discs z) are successively brought against a stationary friction surface f*,
which causes the rollers to turn on their axis, and to change the pendant
positions of the sheets of paper while drying, as shewn. On the descending
side of the endless chains the same takes place; and when the rollers u suc-
cessively come to the level of the sliding bar bar Y, the friction piece g* acts
against the edge of the lisc, as before, and, by turning the roller, discharges
the sheet of paper from the machine. It is to be observed, that the drying
apparatus last described should be enclosed as before, and a current of heated
air passed through it, for the purpose of drying the paper quickly.
In witness whereof, I, the said Lemuel Wellman Wright, have here-
unto set my hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of May, in the
year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and thirty-five.
LEMUEL W. (L.S.) WRIGHT.

page_text: AND BE IT REMEMBERED, that on the Fifteenth day of May, in the
fifth year of the reign of His Majesty King William the Fourth, the said
Lemuel Wellman Wright came before our said Lord the King in His Chan-
cery, and acknowledged the Instrument aforesaid, and all and every thing
therein contained and specified, in form above written. And also the Instru-
ment aforesaid was stamped according to the tenor of the Statute made in
the fifty-fifth year of the reign of His late Majesty King George the Third.