70 



THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[November 1, 1913. 



THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE INSTALLS AN EXPERI- 

 MENTAL PLANT. 



The director of the Department of Agriculture for the 

 Federated Malay States, Mr. L. Lewton-Brain, lias induced the 

 Government to order a complete experimental rubber vulcan- 

 izing plant, which is to be erected near the offices of the depart- 

 ment in Kuala Lumpur, and which will be under the direct 

 supervision of Mr. B. J. Eaton, chief agricultural chemist. 



The entire plant is housed in a special and most suitable 

 building, constructed of brick, with roof of French tiles. It 

 consists of one room 30 feet x 30 feet in which the vulcanizing 

 machinery will be installed, together with an adjoining room, 

 30 feet X 15 feet, in which the testing apparatus will be placed. 

 A veranda, measuring 30 feet x 12 feet with expanded metal 

 sides, which runs along one side of the building, will contain a 

 vertical steam boiler with steam pump, injector, horizontal steam 

 engine, donkey pump for boiler feed purposes, etc. 



The installa- 

 tion of rubber 

 machinery now 

 includes one 

 washer with du- 

 plicate rolls 9 

 inches x iyi 

 inches, one pair 

 of which are 

 made from a 

 special mixture 

 of metal to pre- 

 vent rust. This 

 machine is pro- 

 vided with cov- 

 ered worm and 

 worm wheel ad- 

 justment.and with 

 cast aluminum 

 tray for receiving 

 the washed rub- 

 ber. It is also 

 fitted with cold 

 water and steam 

 connections, s o 

 that hot or cold 

 water can be 

 used in washing, 

 the water passing 

 through a speci- 

 ally designed 

 aluminum water 

 spray. 



The mixer has 

 chilled rolls 9 



inches x A'/i inches and is provided with cold water and steam 

 arrangements, so that it can be worked hot or cold. 



The calender is a three-roll machine with iron rolls 9 inches x 

 4^ inches and arranged for steam heating and water cooling. 

 The calender is practically a universal one, i. e., all three rolls 

 can be run at even speed, or any two can be run at even speed 

 while the third runs at friction. 



Included in the installation is a screw vulcanizing press with 

 three steam-heated platens, and a jacketed heater for either wet 

 or dry steam. There is also an autoclave press or combined 

 hydraulic press and vulcanizer, operated by means of a hand 

 liydraulic pump. 



Since vacuum drying is used by some planters and manufac- 

 turers and not by others, on account of the difference of opinion 

 ai to the effect of this drying system on the rubber, it was 

 111 ought advisable to install a small vacuum drying plant, this 

 teing complete with vacuum chamber provided with steam- 

 liistted plitcns, condenser, receiver, and vacuum pump driven by 



E-\PERi.\iENT.\L Rlbber VuLC.^NIZ^^'G Installation. 



means of belt In connection with the vacuum dryer is provided 

 a "Dacostidge" patent combined smoking and vacuum drying 

 arrangement, as well as a Da Costa coagulator. 



Independent of the vacuum drying system there is provided 

 a hot air drying arrangement, the heat being produced by means 

 of steam pipes. These pipes are laid in a convenient position so 

 that the heat passes through the rubber, and the moist air is 

 drawn off from suitable ducts through an exhaust fan driven by 

 belt through counter-shaft from the steam engine. In conjunc- 

 tion with the drying chamber is a smoking arrangement whereby 

 smoke may be injected, if desired, at the bottom of the chamber 

 and drawn through the rubber. 



The most up-to-date testing instruments will be used for as- 

 certaining the physical qualities of the vulcanized rubber. These 

 will include the well-known Schopper machine fitted with hys- 

 teresis apparatus and driven by water pressure, a Schwartz 

 machine for hysteresis and ' permanent-set tests, abrasion ma- 

 chines for testing 

 discs, ring? and 

 balls of vulcan- 

 ized rubber, a 

 machine designed 

 by Professor 

 Martens of the 

 Royal Prussian 

 Testing Station 

 for alternately 

 stretching and 

 releasing test 

 rings, a Breuil 

 elastodurameter, 

 viscosity appara- 

 tus and a motor- 

 driven centrif- 

 ugal machine for 

 analytical p u r - 

 poses, etc.. etc. 



The depart- 

 ment has already 

 a rubber factory 

 of its own, which 

 includes two 

 washing ma- 

 chines, consisting 

 of one washer 

 with even speed 

 rollers for pre- 

 paring sheet and 

 one machine with 

 diamond-cut 

 rollers unevenly 

 geared for the 

 manufacture of crepe. In these machines, the rubber obtained 

 from trees on about ISO acres of the Experimental Plantation 

 attached to the department is treated. A special drying room 

 with steam pipes for heating, and provided with an exhaust fan 

 also adjoins the factory, steam being generated in a small ver- 

 tical boiler outside the building. A small smoke house is alsQ' 

 used for preparing smoked sheet. 



The department is also fortunate in having two other estates 

 in bearing, with factories, etc., in course of erection, where ex- 

 periments can be carried on under supervision. Various nove! 

 designs and labor saving devices have been embodied in the con- 

 struction of coagulating, drying and smoke rooms in connection 

 with the factories on these departmental estates. 



In addition, the department is able to co-operate with the 

 majority of the estates in the country, and rubber samples pre- 

 pared by planters will be examined as desired and reported upon, 

 recommendations being made when necessary on the results ob- 

 tained. The work which can be carried out with this plant 



