Apparatus for treating fiber masses

Claim 1

SEPARATION APPARATUS FOR SEPARATION OF FIBROUS MATERIAL FROM A LIQUID WITH WHICH THE FIBROUS MATERIAL IS MIXED WITHOUT SUBJECTING THE FIBERS OF SAID MATERIAL TO A GRINDING OR CRUSHING ACTION REGARDLESS OF THE DENSITY OF SAID FIBROUS MATERIAL IN A MIXTURE THEREOF WITH SAID LIQUID COMPRISING, A PLURALITY OF VERTICALLY DISPOSED CYLINDRICAL DRUMS HAVING STRAINING WALLS, SAID DRUMS BEING RELATIVELY DISPOSED WITH THE WALLS THEREOF DEFINING A CHAMBER SUBSTANTIALLY ENCLOSED CIRCUMFERENTIALLY BY SAID STRAINING WALLS, MEANS CLOSING OPPOSITE LOWER AND UPPER ENDS OF SAID CHAMBER, MEANS TO DELIVER A MIXTURE OF SAID FIBROUS MATERIAL AND SAID LIQUID INTO SAID CHAMBER FOR SEPARATION OF SAID FIBROUS MATERIAL FROM SAID LIQUID, MEANS FOR SELECTIVELY ROTATING SAID DRUMS IN SELECTED DIRECTIONS WITH NEXT ADJACENT DRUMS ROTATING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS, MEANS FOR REMOVING FROM THE INTERIOR OF SAID DRUMS LIQUID REMOVED FROM THE MIXTURE OF LIQUID AND FIBROUS MATERIAL IN SAID CHAMBER, AND AT LEAST TWO OF SAID DRUMS BEING DISPOSED DEFINING A LONGITUDINALLY EXTENDING SPACE IN COMMUNICATION WITH SAID CHAMBER FOR DELIVERY OF FIBROUS MATERIAL FROM SAID CHAMBER AS A MAT OF FIBERS AUTOMATICALLY DURING ROTATION OF SAID DRUMS.