Apparatus for recovery of juice from sucrose bearing materials

Claim 1

APPARATUS FOR REMOVING AT LEAST 80-85% OF THE JUICE FROM SUCROSE BEARING CELLULAR FIBROUS MATERIAL SUCH AS SUGAR CANE COMPRISING THE COMBINATION OF MEANS FOR REDUCING THE CANE TO DESIRED LENGTHS, A FIRST ELONGATED EXPRESSION CAGE HAVING INLET AND OUTLET OPENINGS AND A THROUGH PASSAGE THEREBETWEEN AND DRAINAGE OPENINGS IN THE WALLS OF SAID CAGE, SAID INLET OPENING BEING POSITIONED TO RECEIVE THE RAW CANE FROM SAID REDUCING MEANS, MEANS PROVIDING A RESTRICTING ORIFICE AT SAID OUTLET OPENING, AN INTERRUPTED-FLIGHT FEED SCREW EXTENDING INTO SAID FIRST CAGE AND HAVING MEANS FOR ROTATION THEREOF TO FORCE THE CANE UNDER MECHANICAL PRESSURE THROUGH SAID ORIFICE TO EXPRESS AN INITIAL QUANTITY OF JUICE FROM THE CANE FOR DISCHARGE THROUGH SAID DRAINAGE OPENINGS IN SAID FIRST CAGE, A MAIN EXPRESSION CAGE HAVING AN INLET AND AN OUTLET AND HAVING DRAINAGE OPENING IN THE WALLS THEREOF, A CLOSED EXPANSION CHAMBER CONNECTING SAID MAIN CAGE INLET TO SAID OUTLET OF SAID FIRST CAGE FOR RECEIVING THE CANE FORCED THROUGH SAID ORIFICE, MEANS CONNECTED TO INTRODUCE MACERATION LIQUID INTO SAID CHAMBER FOR ABSORPTION BY THE CANE WHERE THE MECHANICAL PRESSURE THEREON IS RELATIVELY RELAXED, A FEED SCREW MEMBER EXTENDING ADJACENT SAID MAIN CAGE INLET AND HAVING DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATION THEREOF TO TAKE UP CANE FROM SAID CHAMBER AND FEED IT UNDER RELATIVELY HIGH MEAN MECHANICAL PRESSURE THROUGH SAID MAIN CAGE, A MAIN INTERRUPTED-FLIGHT SCREW MEMBER EXTENDING THROUGH SAID MAIN CAGE AND HAVING MEANS FOR ROTATION THEREOF AT A SLOWER SPEED THAN SAID FEED SCREW MEMBER, AND COOPERATING MEANS ON SAID MAIN SCREW AND THE WALLS OF SAID MAIN CAGE ADAPTED TO DEFIBER AND TO COMPACT THE CANE ALTERNATELY WHILE THE RELATIVELY HIGH MECHANICAL PRESSURE IS MAINTAINED THEREON FOR EXPRESSING A MAJOR QUANTITY OF THE JUICE THEREFROM.