Patent GB-860967-A (GB)
Title: Method and apparatus for shelling cashew-nuts
IPC: A23N5/00
Filed: 1959-05-27
Abstract: 860,967. Shelling cashew nuts. HENRY, R. L. D. E. May 27, 1959 [May 28, 1958], No. 18086/59. Class 58. An equatorial cut is made around the shell of each nut to such a depth as to cut through the shell but not to scotch the kernel. The two half shells are then forced apart at substantially diametrically opposite points while pressure is applied to opposite central areas of the two halves between the two points. Various parts of one form of apparatus are shown. As each nut passes down a channel 1, Fig. 11, from a shoot, it is engaged by a fork 2 carried on a rod 3 on a parallelogram linkage 4. A sector 73 is reciprocated by a crank 83 intermittently rotated by a gear sector 86 on continuously rotating shaft 87. An edge 74 of the sector 73, when rotating clockwise, engages a pin 76, projecting from the link 77 of the linkage 4 to drive the fork 2 into the shell of the nut. The construction of the fork 2 is shown in greater detail in Fig. 9. The tines 33 are pivoted at 35 to the hollow portion 36 of the shaft 3 which contains a plunger 47 which is forced upwardly against a spring 47<SP>1</SP> when the fork engages a nut. This carries up a cross member 44 and, with it, spring loaded pawls 51 which engage notches 60 and also a collar 43, the movement of which allows the upper ends of the tines 33 to move outwards under the action of springs 40 so that their points 34 engage the nut securely. The sector 73 now reverses and the edge 75 engages the pin 76 to lift the link 77 up to and over a top dead centre position whence a spring 78 carries it down to a position above a disc 10, Fig. 12, with upwardly projecting teeth, carried at the end of a shaft 92, The shaft 92 is now lifted, by a cam 99 acting on a follower 96 engaging a collar 94, against the action of a spring 95. This engages the disc 10 with the underside of the nut. A gear sector 102 driven from the continuously rotating shaft 158 now engages a gear 101 to rotate the shaft 92 through one turn. During this rotation a rotating cutter 16, Fig. 14, is brought into contact with the periphery of the nut. The cutter 16 is flanked by discs 14, 15, to limit the depth of cut, and driven by a motor 112 in an assembly pivoted at 108 and acted on by a wire tensioned by a weight to pull the cutter against the nut. When the cut is complete the cutter assembly is pivoted away from the nut by a bell crank 120. The nut is now engaged from each side by a pair of jaws as shown in Fig. 15. When so engaged the fork 2 is lifted by reverse rotation of the sector 73 and returned to the position shown in Fig. 11 to engage the next nut. The disc 10 is lowered from the nut by the cam 99. Each jaw now engaging the nut consists of a pair of members 27, 28 with lips 134, 135 which enter the groove which has been cut in the nut. The members 27, 28 are radially slidable in a fork 127 but held inwards by springs 1361, 1371 engaging projections 136, 137. The fork is supported in an arm 125 and can slide therein but is prevented from rotating by a key 1261. A cam 138 situated between the projections 136, 137 is carried on a shaft 139 with a collar 140 normally urged outwards by a spring 141 but pushed inwards, to engage the members 27, 28 with the nut, by a lever 146, pivoted at 147, actuated by a cam 150 and acting on the collar 140 through a spring 155. When the nut is engaged between the jaws the whole assembly of the jaws and the arms 125 is pivoted about the axis 122, by a cam 157 acting on a projecting pin 156, to a position where the nut lies between two arms 168, 169, Fig. 19, which are then pivoted by a cam 174 against the action of a spring 171 to engage the nut, as shown in full lines, in a direction perpendicular to that joining the jaws shown in Fig. 15. The shaft 139 is now rotated by a cam which strikes the projecting lever 143. The cam 138 forces the members 27, 28 apart, those at the opposite side of the nut being acted on similarly. The shell is thus split open and the kernal and parts of the shell fall together into, for example, a liquid bath where they are separated by flotation.