US1550094A - Sugar-washing device - Google Patents

Description

Aug. 18, 1925,

' E. ROBERTS SUGAR WASHING'DEVICE Filed June 19. 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 18, 1925.

E ROBERTS SUGAR wasnme DEVICE Filed June 19. 1920 sshuts-she t z Aug. 18, 1925.

Filed June 19. 1920 4 s Sheets-Shoot 5 z I a Patented Aug. 18, 1925.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE ROBERTS, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, ASSIGNOR TO THE VIESTERN STATES MACHINE COMPANY, OF SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, A CORPORATION OF UTAH.

SUGAR-WASHING DEVICE.

Application filed June 19, 1920.

T all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE RoBERTs, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Salt Lake City, in the county of Salt Lake and State of Utah, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sugarashing Devices, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to apparatus for washing sugar or other material in a centrifugal basket after the juice or syrup has been centrifugally extracted therefrom and is in the nature of an improvement upon the washing apparatus shown in the Roberts and Gibson United States Letters Patent 1,224,095 dated April 24, 1917.

The present invention is intended to simplify the construction of the apparatus, improve its operation and obtain more precise or exact determination of the period of the washing or spraying operation. In general the invention comprises a constantly rotating shaft combined with an intermittently connected timing shaft and automatically controlled timing mechanism with suitably combined valve closing and nozzle actuating connections by which the duration of the period of washing is exactly controlled in accordance with a predetermined setting of a regulator.

Another feature of the invention comprises the combination of automatic timing mechanism and nozzle actuating and valve closing devices with a regulator operatively associated with a regulating dial member or index by which the exact setting can be readily determined appropriate to various grades of sugar to be treated.

These and other features of the invention will be explained in the following specifica tion and will be defined in the claims hereto annexed.

In the accompanying drawings 1 have illustrated a preferred form embodying the principles of this invention in which:

Figure 1 is a front elevation showing the completely assembled device in operative position for use.

Figure 2 is an end elevation with a nozzle and partly broken away to show the valve chamber and valve.

Figure 3 is an end elevation with the end plate and supported parts removed to Serial No. 390,131.

show the intermediate construction and arrangement.

Figure 4 is a central section on a vertical plane extending from front to rear show ing the working parts of the timing mecha nism.

Figure 5 is a horizontal section showing the timing mechanism and working parts in plan view.

Figure 6 is a detail View of the crown gear which drives the timing mechanism showing the adjustable regulator in relation thereto as viewed on the plane a90a in the direction of the arrow Z) in Fig. 4;.

Figure 7 is a vertical face view on the plane 00a showing the mutilated timing gear as viewed in the direction of the arrow at in Fig. 4.

Figure 8 is a front elevation partly in section with the end or dial plate broken away to show the intermediate working parts.

Figure 9 is adetail view showing the intermittently engaged transmission gearing for driving the timing shaft intermittently from the dial shaft.

In the practice of the invention as illus traded in the drawings I provide a suitable casing A having two circular open sides corresponding respectively to the front and side faces thereof each of which is closed by a removable head or plate as hereinafter described.

On the open side of the casing is removably secured a face plate 1 having integrally cast therewith a valve casing 2 provided with a partition 2 forming a circular seat for the plunger valve 3 which when seated firmly to the valve opening or port prevents the flow of water through the valve chamber. At the opposite ends of the valve chamber or water passage are provided flanges 41 and 42 the latter adapted to form a flanged connection with the liquid supply pipe 60 while the former has a flanged connection with the flanged coupling in which the oscillatory nozzle or spray pipe l is pivotally mounted so as to permit oscillation of the pipe 4 and the spray nozzle 5 carried at its end and through which the water is distributed in a fan-like spray as described in the above mentioned Roberts and Gibson patent.

The oscillation of the nozzle or spray member is effected by a split hub lever 6 whose separable semi-circular collar 7 clamped around the horizontal portion of the elbow shaped nozzle pipe 4 in any desired position of tlCljLlStHlQIlt. At its free end, the arm 6 is provided with a stud or roller 6 engaging a wave-lilre groove formed in the actuating cam 8 that is secured to the timing or worm shaft 3 which also actuates the timing meshanisi'n.

In the side wall of the casing opposite to that carrying the valve chamber is mountei a short power shaft 10 to which power is provided by any suitable means as by a grooved pulley ll driven by belt connection from any convenient shaft outside of the machine.

Pivotally mounted upon this power shaft 10 is a pinion supporting fran'ie or double plate 13 whose branches straddle the driving pinion 1* that is secured to the inner (aid oi? the power sha'l t. .lotatably supported upon a stud or bearing pin 50 red in this pivotal frame 13 is a pinion 'l-l which permanently mtermeshed with the power pinion l2. rrdjacent to the pinion 'l l but normally out of engagement therewith is a pinion 15 secured to the worm shaft 9 by which the worm shai t is driven when the mechanism is set in operation by the shift ing of the pinion 1 into mesh with the pinion 15.

A fixed bearing stud or shaft extends through the casing from front to rear and is held against rotative movement by a clan'iping nut 2% having threaded engagement ith the reduced end of the shaft 2% which projects through the rear end or the casing as shown in Figure Around the front end of this shaft and projecting through the front or dial plate 23 is rotatably mounted the flanged sleeve 15) from whose flange projects rearwardly a stud or lug which stud or lug can be shifted circun'rterentially arouno the shaft by the partial rotation of the sleeve 19 which is offected by an external arm 21 secured to the end of said sleeve and having, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, at its free end a headed plunger pin 22 which is normally spring pressed into engagement with a series of locking holes formed in the face plate 23 concentrically around the axis of said sleeve or regulating member. This perforated plate 23 therefore acts as an index or dial plate with the numbered holes to indicate the various setting positions of the regulator as will be hereinafter explained.

Rotatably mounted on the cylindrical sleeve 19 is the hub 17 of a worm gear lb which continually meshes with the worm oi the worm shaft- 9 so that the gear 16 rotates as long as the worm shaft is in rotation.

The stem of the valve 0 extends up wardly through the stuli box or gland 3L formed on top of the valve chamber, and through the mediinn of an adjustably con-- nccted member 31 has pivotal connection with a short lever 27 secured to the transverse rock shalt 25 to which also is secured the hand lever 26 by which the valve is opener and the timing mechanism set in op eration as will be xplained.

The principal members oi the timing mechanisn'i comprise a non-rotatable sleeve 3411 slidingly mounted on the shaft ll to which it is splined by a headed pin 4:? projecting through a slot in the top out said sleeve, and the rotatable timing gear 35 which is rotatably mounted upon the front end of the sleeve 3-1 and is normally pressed in a contra-clockwise direction by the coil spring 38 one end of which is pinned to the mutilated gear or tin'iing member 35, the other end being pinned to the non-rotative sleeve 3st. From the front liace of the mutilated gear 35 projects a stop pin 37 an ranged to cooperate with the stop lug 20 of the regulator so that the stop lug 2O acts as a stop to limit the rotation of the member :35 in a contra-clockwise direction as viewed from the "front under the tension. of the coil spring); 88.

In will be understood that the circum terential adjustment or the stop lug 20 by means of the regulator arm 21 will serve to change the position at wl ch the stop pin 31'", and consequently the tin'iing member 35, is held thereby varying the initial or cir- Cllflliiffll'tlll llill posit-ion oi the timing member 3a. As will be hereinafter explained the timing member when set in action always acts at a predetermined point, hence the setting at its initial position circun'iilerentially will detern'iine the period of duration of its rotation.

The timing member 35 is rotated when ever its crown teeth or projections termed {)O on the front lace thereof are brought into intern'ieshing engagement with any of the teeth of the crown gear 18 "formed on the rear face of the worm gear 16 as shown in Figures at, 6 and 7. This intcrn'ieshing is effected by the longitudinal or sliding movement in a forward direction of the sleeve 3% carrying the timing member 35 against the crown gear teeth 18. Such forward movement is caused in the first instance by rocking the transverse shaftin a clockwise direction by lifting the hand lever 26 such shitting movement being effected by means of an arm 38 formed on the rock shaft 535 whose rounded free end engages a transverse slot at the rear end o1 the sleeve or carriage 3%. On the side of the sleeve ill adjacent to the pinion it is formed a vertical slotted lug 49 into whose slot projects the stud or pin 50 which forms the support ing axis for the pinion 1 1. Hence this forward movement of the sleeve acts through this pin connection to throw the transmission pinion 14; into mesh with the worm shaft pinion 15 to cause the rotation of the worm shaft, the same movement resulting in operatively connecting or engaging the timing member 35 with the crown gear 18 by which the former is rotated.

A coiled spring 39 secured to the shipper arm 33 and to a fixed part of the machine acts to cause a rearward movement of the sleeve 3 1 by which the timing member 35 is shifted out of operative position. To prevent this automatic rearward shifting of the sleeve or carriage 3%, until the predetermined time when it is desired to disengage the timing member from the crown gear, I employ a dog 45 which is pivotally mounted on the rear end of the sleeve and whose under side is formed with av hook or shoulder 16 adapted to drop over and engage the front side of the splined pin 17 when the sleeve is shifted forward in position to operate the timing mechanism.

On the periphery of the rotatable timing member 35 is provided a projection in the form of a set screw cam pin 18 which acts when it reaches the uppermost or vertical position in line with the forward end of the dog 45 to lift the said dog out of interlocle ing engagement with the pin 19 thereby allowing the torsion spring 39 to withdraw the sleeve and timing member from operative position through the turning of the rock-shaft.

For greater security the dog is engaged upon the opposite side by the vertical lugs as and 4L9 (Fig. to relieve the pivoted pin of the dog of sidewise thrust when the projecting cam pin 13 rides against the front end of the dog in the act of lifting it to releasing position.

Since the forward end of the rock-shaft has operative connection with the valve 3 through the valve stem and the short arm 27, it will be seen that the raising of the hand lever 26 acts to open the valve as well as set the timing mechanism in operation, while the automatic release or disengagement of the timing mechanism being caused by the reverse movement of the rock shaft under the influence of the torsion spring 39 will coincide with the closing of said valve by the rock shaft.

Since the dog or latch 45 has a constant or uniform position circumferentially of the axis of rotation of the timing member 35 it will be seen that the timing mechanism always ceases to act at a predetermined point. Since the spiral spring 38 normally presses the timing member around in a contra-cloclm ise directionuntil it is arrested by the engagement of its stop pin 37 with the stop lug of the regulator, it will be seen that the circun'iferential shifting of the regulator will correspondingly shift the initial position of the timing member so that, obviously, the farther the timing member is set in a clockwise direction the shorter will be the are through which the timing member will have to travel before reach ing its angle of position and, hence, the shorter will be the duration of the washing period which is terminated by the closing of the valve, which is effected by the torsion spring 39 and connections as soon as the dog is lifted and ceases to act as a detent.

What I claim is:

1. In a machine for washing sugar in centrifugals and the like, the combination of apulley driven shaft, a cut-off valve, a rotatable timer for determining the period that the valve remains open, intermediate connections between said shaft and said timer comprising a Worm gear and a worm in constant mesh with each other and disconnectible on one side from the pulley driven shaft and on the other from the timer when the latter acts t cause the closing of the valve, and a timer regulator adjustable to vary the arc of rotation permitted said timer, substantially as described.

2. In a machine for washing sugar or the like, the combination with a spray nozzle and its out off valve, of spring actuated alve-closing mechanism, a detent for preventing the closing of the valve, a rotatable timing member arranged to release the dctent after rotating through a predetermined arc of rotation, a worm actuated driving gear arranged coaxially with the rotatable timing member to have operative connection therewith until the connection is auton' atically broken by the release of said detent, substantially as described.

3. In a machine for washing sugar or the like, the combination with an oscillatory spray nozzle and its cut-off valve, of automatic valve-closing means, a releasable detent for preventing the valve closing means from acting, a rotatable timer acting to re lease the detent after rotation through a predetermined arc, an actuating gear arranged coaxially with the timer to have releasable driving connection therewith, a regulating stop member adjustable about the axis of the timer to vary the arc of its rotation before releasing the detent, and a starting lever acting to open the cutoff valve and operatively connect the timer with its actuating gear, substantially as described.

4i. In a machine for washing sugar the combination of a rotary actuating shaft. a cut-off valve closing means therefor, a sliding carriage, a timing member rotatably mounted on said carriage and shiftable thereby into operative position to be driven from said actuating shaft, a detent acting to hold said carriage against reverse moveiii ment during the washing operation said detcnt being released by said timing member at a predetermined point in the rotation of the timing member, the valve closing mechanisin being held against action by said oarriage until said detcnt is released, substan tially as described.

5. In a machine for washing sugar, the combination of a rotary actuating shaft, releasably connected driving means therefor, an actuating gear driven by said shaft, a rotatable tin'iing member movable in the direction of its axis, to be operatively enga ed with said gear by the opening movement oi the valve mechanism, a valve, and valve controlling mechanism opcratively asz-iociated with said timing member to act to close the valve when the lining n'iember has rotated through a predetermined are, substantially as described.

5. In a machine for washing sugar, combination of a rotary actuatin shalt, a gear driven thereby, a cut-oil A a movable carriage, a rotatable tinnng member mounted on said car to be moved int-o operative engagement with said ear b the opening of the valve, valve clos L nism held against action by suin Cklll'iif" when the timing member er in; in,

said gear, said carriage being reiesed permit the action of the valve closing mechanism when the timing n'iember has rotated through a predetermined are, substantially as described.

7. In a machine For washing combination of a continuously ro ing member, an actuating s-tha' forming a disconnoctible driving between said driving member and said sin.

a cut-oil valve, valve closing mecn movable carriage operatively connected wit i said valve closing mechanism to prevent it iiirom normal action, a timing member mounted on said carriage and having disconnectible driving connection with said ac tuating shai't said carriage acting simultaneously to establish operative connection between said driving member and said timing member with said shatt and to cause their simultaneous release from driving connection therewith, substantially as described.

8. In a machine "for washing sugar, the combination of an actuating shaft, intermib tently connected driving means therefor, a timing men'iber arranged to be temporarily shifted into driven connection with said actuating shaft, a carriage acting to opera tively connect said driving means and said timing member with said actuating shaft, a cut-oil valve, valve closingmechanism interconnected with said carriage to be held against action while the afo-i-said driving conne'tions are maintained and to release said valve closing mechanism when the aforesaid driving connections are disconnected, substantially as described.

9. In a machine for w shing sugar, the C()illl)lIl&tlUIl 01' a rotatable actuating shaft, an actuating gear driven thereby, a sl'idable carriage movable toward and away from, said gear, a rotatable timing member mounted on said carriage to be shifted into opera-i tive engagement with said gear, a detent arranged to automatically lock the carriage with the timing member in engagement with said gear, said timing member acting to re lease said detent at a predetcrn'iined point in its rotation, a shut off valve, valve closing mechanisn'i interconnected with said carriage to be held inactive when the timing member is engaged with its actuating gear and to be released to close the valve when the timing member has reached a predetermined point, substantially as described.

1.0. In a machine for washing sugar, the combination cl a casing having a transverse shaft, a gear rotatably mounted on said shaft, a regulating member rotatably mounted on said shaft inside said gear, a carriage mounted to slide longitudinally oil said shaft toward and away from said gear, a detent mounted on said carriage, a timing member rotatably mounted on said carriage and movable by said carriage into operative connection with said gear and provided with means for releasing said detent at a predetermined point in its rotation, a rock-shaft having an arm interconnected with said carriage, a

alve, and a valve stem having connection with said roclcsha'tt, and a spring normally tending to close said valve and withdraw said carriage to disconnect said timing member from said gear, substantially as dcscribed.

11. In a machine for washing sugar, the combination of an actuating worm shaft and worm gear connected therewith, lateral gear teeth, a timing member arranged to be shifted into and out operative engagement with said gear teeth to be rotated thereby, an adjustable stop member, a spring normally holding said rotatable timing member against said stop member when the timing member is disengaged from the gear, and means for simultaneously starting the rotation of said worm shaft and said timing member, a cut-off valve, alve closing mechanism, and means controlled by the timing member for releasing said valve closing means and disengaging the timing member "from operative connection with said gear, substantially as described.

In witness whereof, I have subscribed the above specification.

EUGENE ROBERTS.

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