Belt press with hose-type actuator

Claim 1

A belt press comprising: a plurality of upper and a plurality of lower traverses respectively having lower and upper traverse faces; respective upright tie bolts extending vertically between said upper and lower traverses and securing said lower traverses to the respective upper traverses; upper and lower press platens carried on and between said traverses and having respective upper and lower platen faces respectively confronting said lower and upper traverse faces; hydraulic actuating means for displacing said traverses toward each other and thereby pressing said platens against a belt engaged therebetween, said means being engaged between one of said platen faces and the confronting traverse face and having a pressure plate bearing on said one platen face, a plurality of diametrically compressible but circumferentially unstetchable hydraulic hoses forming at least one substantially closed chamber and bearing in one direction in surface contact on said pressure plate and in the opposite direction in surface contact at least indirectly on said confronting traverse face, said hoses having in uncompressed condition a predetermined hose diameter but being partially flattened between said plate and said confronting traverse face, and means for pressurizing said chamber; means for displacement of said plate toward and away from said confronting traverse face only through a distance substantially shorter than said diameter; and at least one bend-compensating element having a pair of nonparallel upper and lower surfaces and engaged between said hydraulic actuating means and one of the respective faces.