US518709A - Cotton-press - Google Patents

Description

' s. J. WILLIAMS.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1.,

COTTON PRESS.

(No Model.)

No. 51 ,709. Patented (Apr. 24,1894.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

SILAS JACKSON WILLIAMS, OF FLOYD, TEXAS.

COTTON-PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 518,709, dated April 24, 1894.

. Application filedJ'uly 8, 1893- $eria1No.479,952. (No model.)

.To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, SILAs JACKSON WIL- LIAMS, a citizen of the United States, resid- Ing at Floyd, in the county of Hunt and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Cotton-Press, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in cotton-presses, and has particular reference to the plunger operating mechanism.

The objects in view are to provide a cheap, s mple, and powerful mechanism under the direct control of the operator, the same belng so constructed as to operate the plunger through the medium of hydraulic pressure created by the presence of steam, the parts belng so arranged as to multiply the power. With these, and other objects in view the Invention consists in certain features of con struction hereinafter specified and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawings:Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a baling press,

the same being provided with a plunger operating mechanism embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view through the plunger operating mechanism.

Like numerals of reference indicate like .parts both the figures of the drawings.

The baling chamber 1 may be of any desired construction, and as usual in this class of presses, namely, the vertical type, is located upon a suitable platform or floor 2 located above the plunger operating mechanism. The chamber being of the ordinary construction and forming no part of my invention therefore requires no particular description.

Upon a suitable framework or bed 3 located below the floor or platform 2 is securely bolted and supported a steam cylinder 4, the

same being flanged at its lower end' to receive the bolts5 which pass therethrough and through the bed 3. The cylinder is provided with a truncated cone-shaped or reduced dome 6, the same being flanged at its upper end, as at 7, which meets with the flange 8 formed at the lower end of an elongated hydraulic cylinder 9 which corresponds in diameter with the reduced upper end of the cylinder 4. The upper end of the cylinder 9is flanged as at 10 and has bolted thereto a head-plate 11. In

the end of the cylinder 4 there is located a guide-bar 12, and the same is provided at its center with a stuffinggland 13 in which there is mounted for reciprocation the vertical steam piston-rod 14. The lower end of the piston rod 14 is secured to a piston head 15, suitably packed to fit within the steam cylinder 4. p

The head-plate 11 at the upper end of the hydraulic cylinder 9 is provided with a stun?- ing-gland 16, and mounted for reciprocation therein is the plunger or piston-rod 17, which extends throughout thelength of the cylinder 9 and above the plate 11 where it is provided with the follower 18 designed to fit within the baling-chamber and to reciprocate therein in the usual manner. The follower may be secured to the end of the piston in any suitable manner and in thisinstance I employ a socket 19 securely bolted as at 20 to the under side of the follower and having its lower or socket end receiving the upper end of the plunger or piston rod 17. The lower end of the plunger or piston rod 17 terminates in a piston head 21 which fits within the cylinder 9 and is also suitably packed so as to form a tight joint therewith. Supported at one side in, any suitable manner and in this instance upon standards 22 is a receiving tank 23, the same being supported above the steam-cylinder 4 and near the upper end of the cylinder 9. An overflow pipe 24 extends from the upper side and communicates with the interior of the tank 23 and leads therefrom laterally to a point above the head 11 through which it depends and enters the hydraulic cylinder 9. The pipe 24 is provided with a steam pipe 27 which extends laterally therefrom and communicates with any source of steam supply,

and at the union of the pipes 24: and 27 a pipe 28 which extends laterally at its lower end and communicates with the upper contracted portion 6 of the cylinder 4 and adjacent to its union therewith is provided with a check-valve 29 which opens inwardly or toward the cylinder 4.

A steam supply pipe 30 leads from the bottom and center of the cylinder4 to the source of steam supply and in advance of its point of communication with the cylinder 4 has connected therewith a steam-exhaust pipe 33. At the union of the two pipes 30 and 31 a three-way valve 32 is located, the same being operated by a handle or lever 31. This valve, as will be obvious, may be so operated as to cut off communication between the source of steam supply and the lower end of the cylinder 4 and establish communication between the pipe 30 leading from the cylinder and the exhaust pipe 33, or onthe other hand, may cut off communication between the pipes 30 and 33 and form a continuous. means of communication between the steam supply. and the cylinder.

This completes the construction of the plunger operating mechanism and the operation thereof may be described as follows: The piston head 15 of the cylinder4and that of the hydraulic cylinder 9 being in their lowest positions, the cylinder 4 above the head 15 and below the head 21 is filled with water, the check-valveresisting back pressure. Cotton having been placed in the baling chamber in the usual manner the Valve 32 is opened so as to admit steam from the source of supply through the pipe 30 to the cylinder 4 below the center of the piston head 15. Such of course forces the head 15 upward, and the Water above the head 15 is forced against the under side of the head 21, thus forcing the piston 21 of the plunger of the piston rod 17, together with the plunger, up, the whole serving to ram or press the cotton in the baling chamber. Any water which leaks from under the head 21 to a point above the same is carried to the upper end of the hydraulic cylinder 9 and overflows through the pipe 24, returning to the tank 23, it being understood that when steam islet into the cylinder 4 the pipe 24 is open so as to permit of the overflow. Having reached its highest point the operator cuts off the steam communication through the pipe 30 and establishes communication between the steam pipe 30 and the exhaust pipe 33 and opens communication between the steam supply-pipe 27 and the overflow-pipe 24, thus .letting the steam pass into the upper end of the hydraulic-cylinder 9. This of course forces the head 21 downward and likewise the head 15, the steam below the latter being exhausted through pipes 30 and 33. The water that has overflowed through the pipe 24 passes down through the return-pipe 28 and by the check-valve 29 which opens in the di rection of its passage and is thus fed to the cylinder 4. This valve open in g only one way resists back-pressure of the water during the ascension of the head 15. 7

From the foregoing description 111 connection with the accompanying drawings t will be seen that I have provided a very simple, easily operated, and durable mechanism for operating the followers of cotton presses, the said mechanism being directly under the control of the operator and requiring but a minimum amount of steam for the same.

I do not limit my invention to the precise details of construction herein shown and described, but hold that I may make such variations therein as may suggest themselves to me during the practice of the invention, and will not thereby depart from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention, what I,

claim is 1. The combination with a baling-cha-mber, a subjacent hydraulic-cylinder, a piston-rod and head mounted therein, the former extending beyond the upper end of the cylinder and provided with a follower, of a steam-cylinder of greater diameter than the hydrauliccylinder, a piston rod and head mounted therein, said steam-cylinder communicating.

with the hydraulic-cylinder and an overflowpipe extending from the hydraulic cylinder, a tank elevated above the steam cylinder and communicating with the overflow-pipe, a return-pipe depending from the tank and communicating with the steam-cylinder above the piston-head therein, a steam supply-pipe leading from a source of supply to the lower end of the steam cylinder, and a check valve located in the return-pipe.

2. The combination with a baling-chamber, a subjacent hydraulic-cylinder, a piston-rod arranged therein, a piston-headat the lower end of the rod, and a follower at the upper end thereof above the cylinder, of .a stea mcylinder arranged below the hydraulic:cy1inder and supporting the same and havlng an upper contracted dome agreeing in diameter with the hydraulic-cylinder, and an internal.

guide, 'a piston-rod arranged in the guide, a piston-head secured to the lower end of the rod, a water receiving-tank supported above the steam-cylinder, a return-pipe leading from the upper end of the hydraulic-cylinder to the receiving-tank, a steam supply-pipe communicating with the overflow pipe, a three-way valve arranged at the union thereof, a return-pipe leading from the tank to the upper end of the steam-cylinder, an inwardly opening check-valve arranged in the returnpipe, a steam-supply pipe leading to the lower end of the steam-cylinder, an exhaust-pipe leading therefrom, and a three-way valve located at the union of the two pipes, substantially as specified.

3. The combination with a baling chamber, a subjacent hydraulic-cylinder, a piston-rod and head mounted therein, the former extending beyond the upper end of the cylinder and provided with a follower, of a steam-cylinder of greater diameter than the hydran1ie-ey1in piston-head therein, substantially as speei- 1o der, a piston-rodand head mounted therein, fied.

said steam-cylinder communicating with the In testimony that I claim I the foregoing as hydraulic-cylinder, and an overflow pipe exmy ownIhave hereto affixed my signature in tending from the hydraulic-cylinder, a tank the presence of two witnesses.

elevated above the steam-cylinder and com- SILAS J AOKSON WILLIAMS. munieating with the overflow-pipe, and a re- Witnesses: v i turn pipe depending from the tank and com- L. C. CLIFTON,

municatin g with the steam-cylinder above the T. HARRIS.

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