US820021A - Tumbling-drum. - Google Patents

Description

No. 820,021. 4 PATENTED MAY 8, 1906.

' W. E. SMITH. v

TUMBLING DRUM.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.25, 1905- UNITED STATEB PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM R. SMITH, OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO BUFFALO LEATHER (10., OF BUFFALO, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF WEST VIRGINIA.

TUIVlBLlNG-DRUIVI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 8, 1906.

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM R. SMITH, of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tumbling-Drums, of which the following is a specification.

This invention is an improvement in tumbling-drums, and particularly in the means for supportin and rotating such drums. Its object is to. rnish a construction and arrangement of supporting and rotating mechanism of the general character described in my prior patent, No. 779,746, granted J anuary 10, 1905, by which the amount of energy necessary to rotate the drum may be greatly reduced.

Of the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents a sectional end elevation of a tumbling-drum and operating mechanism therefor embodying the princ1ples of the present invention Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of the same. Fig. 3 represents a sectional detail View showing one of the idle supporting rolls or wheels for the drum. Fig. 4 represents a similar view of one of the driving Wheels. 7

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawings, D represents a tumblingdrum constructed of wooden staves surrounded and bound together by bands or hoops h and having in one of its heads a door a, through which hides and leather to be treated are introduced. The drum is adapted to contain tanning liquor and is provided on its interior with 1nwardly-projecting radial shelves 8, which act to raise and agitate the liquor and hides to subject the latter as thoroughly as possible to the action of the tanning liquor.

The hoops h completely surround the drum and hold the parts thereof together, and each is formed with a longitudinal rib 1", extending continuously the entire length of the hoop and projecting outwardly away from the periphery of the drum. The sides of the rib are inclined convergently as they extend away from the surface of the drum, so that the cross-sectional shape of the rib is that of a wedge. On each side of the ribs the bands are formed with flan es which are annular and have external cy in rical bearing-faces.

A bed-frame B supports bearings b, in which are rotatably mounted two parallel shafts c and d, the first of which has secured to it driving wheels or rolls 7:, while the other carries rolls or wheels Z. The first shaft is adapted to be rotated by power through any suitable means, such as the pulley 'p, and thereby the driving wheels lc are driven. These wheels have in their circumferential faces annular grooves m, the sides of which are inclined and converge toward the axis of the wheels on slants corresponding to the inclinations of the sides of the ribs. The grooves are of such width and depth that when the ribs 1" are inserted in them the sides thereof will engage with the sides of the grooves. The rolls Z are provided with grooves n, which are of reater width than the ribs 1', so that when tv e latter are introduced into the grooves there will be no engagement between the sides thereof.

In use the drum is placed uponand supported by the rolls k Z, which are arranged in such a manner that the ribs of the bands enter the grooves, the inclined sides of the ribs engaging the inclined sides of the grooves m of wheels k and causing a frictional engagement therewith, while the ribs enter grooves n of rolls Z without side engagement. As shown in Fig. 3, the grooves n are of less depth than the ribs, so that the outer cylindrical surfaces of the ribs bear upon the cylindrical surfaces of the rolls Z at the bottoms of the grooves; but it is obvious that this arrangement may be reversed and the grooves made of greater depth. In that case the bearin would be between the outer faces of the rol s and the cylindrical surfaces of the flanges f on each side of the ribs; but in either case the contact between these rolls and the drum would be a simple rolling contact without wedging frictional en agement. 1

It will e noted that the shaft 0 is arranged at a higher elevation than is shaft (1. This has the eflect of throwing the center of the drum more nearly over shaft (1 than over shaft 0, so that shaft (1 and rolls '1 are nearer than are shaft 0 and rolls k to a vertical plane extending through the axis of the drum, whereby the greater r0 ortion of the weight is borne by the rolls w 'le only a fraction is supported on the rolls k, and the elevation of the shaft is such that the center of gravity and which act to turn the drum, the other right of shaft d, as seen in Fig. 1, to retain the drum in place and to cause sufiicient frictional engagement between the ribs and grooves m, so that the driving-wheels may rotate the drum Without sli ping. The wheels are the only ones which are driven wheels simply rotating idly. It is therefore unnecessary for the latter to be mounted upon the same shaft, and they may as well be independently mounted, but arranged in line.

As the contact between the rolls Z and the drum is simply a rollin one and there is no frictional resistance to e overcome in separating the rib from the sides of the groove and as the pressure tending to wedge the ribs into the grooves of the driving-wheels is much less than would be the case if a larger proportion of the weight of the drum were carried by these wheels, it is evident that the resistance to turning the drum resulting from friction is less by a great amount than is the case where all of the supporting rolls are wedged upon the sides of the rib. I have found by eX eriment that the power required to rotate a drum havin the usual charge of tanning liquor and stoc to be treated when arranged as herein described and illustrated is much less than when all the rolls are constructed as drivers having a wedging engage-.

' ing a drum, bands surrounding the drum, a

plurality of wheels or rolls arranged beneath and near the center line of the drum for supporting the greater part of the weight thereof, driving wheels or rolls on the other side of the center line and at a greater distance therefrom than the supporting-rolls, in frictional engagement with the bands, and means for rotating said driving-wheels.

2. The combination of a drum, wheels or rolls arranged in two sets beneath the drum, the drumresting thereon and one set of wheels being higher than the other, whereby the greater proportion of the weight of the drum is supported on the lower set, bands surrounding the drum having inclined-sided ribs projecting into and frictionally engaging the sides of tapered grooves in the upper wheels, and means for rotating said upper wheels.

3. The combination of a drum having surrounding bands, each formed with a longitudinal rib wedge-shaped in cross-section, a set of supporting-wheels, driving-wheels beside and at a higher elevation than the sup orting-wheels and having grooves with inc ined sides complemental to the ribs, and means for rotating the driving-wheels.

4c. The combination of a drum, bands having longitudinal ribs wedge-shaped in crosssection surrounding the drum, driving and idle wheels supporting the drum, the drivingwheels having grooves with inclined sides embracing and frictionally enga ing the sides of the ribs, and the idle wheels aving a free rolling engagement with the drum, said wheels bein so arranged that the proportion of the weig t of the drum borne by the idle, is greater than that supported by the driving wheels.

5. The combination of a drum, bands surrounding the drum, each formed with a longitudinal rib wedge-shaped in cross-section, and cylindrical flanges on each side of the rib, idle rolls beneath the drum having grooves to receive the ribs without engaging the sides thereof, and cylindrical surfaces at the bottomsof the grooves engagin and supporting the outer surfaces of the ri s, and drivingrolls having grooves with flaring sides in' frictional engagement with the sides of the ribs, the idle rolls being located nearer than the driving-rolls to a vertical plane extending through the axis of the drum.

6. The combination of a drum, bands surrounding the drum, each formed with a longitudinal rib wedge-shaped in cross-section and cylindrical flanges on each side of the rib, idle rolls having grooves to receive the ribs without engaging the sides thereof, and supporting the outer surfaces of the ribs on the surfaces at the bottoms of the grooves, and driving rolls having grooves with flaring sides in frictional engagement with the sides of the ribs, said rolls being arranged to support the entire weight of the drum in unequal proportions, the idle rolls receiving the greater part, and the driving-rolls but a fraction, of such weight.

In testimony whereof I have affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM B. SMITH.

Witnesses:

JOHN W. DOBBIE, L. WYATT.

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