Patent GB-217133-A (GB)
Title: Nut cracking machines
IPC: A23N5/01
Filed: 1923-11-27
Abstract: 217,133. Woodson, R. E. Nov. 27, 1923. Cracking nuts; crushers with vibrating jaws.- A machine for cracking fragile-shell nuts as well as hard-shell nuts is provided with means for guiding the nuts from the feed-hopper towards the cracking-device, means acting on the nuts after they leave the guiding-means to place them in a longitudinal position in the cracking-device and with mechanism for operating parts of the cracking-device to discharge the cracked nuts therefrom. A duplex machine for cracking two nuts at each operation of the cracking-device is shown. The feed conveyer-chains 3, Fig. 2, pass through openings 10 in the bottom wall of the hopper. The chains are driven by sprocket. wheels on a shaft 5 near the upper edge of the hopper wall and pass round rollers 6 on a spring- pressed shaft 7 below the hopper. The nutholders on the chains comprise bifurcated arms 12 each having a recess for a nut. Pins 14 project into the openings 10 to prevent the nuts from falling through, and a radial pin 15<a> on the shaft 5 co-operates with knobs or ejectors 15 adjacent the holders 12 to prevent the lodgment of more than one nut on each holder and to ensure proper discharge of the nuts into inclined shoots 16 having hinged plates 17 for the passage of the holders 12, springs 20 effecting the closing of the plates. The nuts pass from the shoot to a grooved shuttle 22 which has an arm 23 extending to a connection with a block 24 in connection with another shuttle 25, Fig. 4, having grooves 26 into which the nuts pass from the shuttle 22 as the latter is reciprocated beneath a wiperplate 27. Each cracking-device comprises a stationary jaw or anvil 28, Fig. 5. and a reciprocating jaw consisting of a bar 33 and head 34 supported in a carriage 38 actuated by a rod 45 pivoted eccentrically to a wheel 47 on a shaft 42 driven through gearing 43 from a motor 44. A rod 49 pivoted to the block 34 passes loosely through a block pivoted to the upper end of an arm 48 on the rod 45 and has a head 51 at its end so that further movement of the arm 48 from the position shown in Fig. 2 causes the rod 49 to move the shuttle 25 towards the carriage 38 into position to receive nuts from the trough 22. Thrust-members 52 pivoted to the ends of the bars, 33 have eccentrically-curved ends which bear against rollers 59 on a shaft 58 and are supported upon an adjustable support 53 so that the moment of release of the members 52 may be varied as desired. Springs 57 attached to the carriage 38 hold the members 52 down, and a pinion on the shaft 58 meshes with a stationary rack. The members 52 serve to impart a final quick impulsive movement to the cracking- element 33, 34, and the extent of this movement can be varied by raising or lowering the support 53. For cracking fragile shell nuts, the support 53 is adjusted so that the high points on the curved ends of the members 52 contact with the rollers 59, and for hard-shell nuts the support is lowered so that shorter joints on the ends of the members contact with the rollers 59. The cracked nuts are ejected from the shuttle 25 to a conveyer 68 by pins 69 in connection with the shuttle 22 extending through the slots 36 into the axial bores 35 of the movable jaws 34. The ejector for the stationary jaw 28 consists of a plate 70 with fingers 73 passing through slots 31 into the central bores of the jaws and' is operated by a rod 75 having a roller 76 which is engaged intermittently by a cam 77 on the wheel 47, a second cam 78 effecting the return movement. In a modification, the shuttle 22 is dispensed with and leaf springs attached to the carriage 38 have end portions extending obliquely upwards into the shoot 16.