IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING GRAIN BEFORE GRINDING, AND IN DRESSING THE SAME AFTER BEING GROUND
Year: 1860

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Ashby, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey,
Miller, for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING
GRAIN BEFORE GRINDING, AND IN DRESSING THE SAME AFTER BEING GROUND."
Sealed the 19th April 1861, and dated the 27th October 1860.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Ashby, at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition on the 27th October
1860.
J, JOHN ASHBY, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey, Miller, do hereby
declare the nature of the said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR
CLEANING GRAIN BEFORE GRINDING, AND IN DRESSING THE SAME AFTER BEING
GROUND," to be as follows:-
This Invention consists, firstly, in the employment, for the purposes referred
to, of brushes driven rapidly round within a cylindrical or other formed screen
or sieve, such brushes being formed with longer bristles, hair, or other
material than those hitherto used for such purposes, and being so placed or so
made as when thrown outward by the centrifugal force (or by the centrifugal
force and their own elasticity combined) to drag or lie upon, and wipe the
refuse matters of the unground grain, or the finer parts of the ground grain,
as the case may be, through the screen instead of acting, as brushes have
heretofore been made to act in such cases, by scrubbing, the ground or un-
ground grain against the screen. Thus, instead of making use of brushes (for

page_text: dressing the ground grain) having bristles, or hair, or other material limited,
as heretofore to a length of not more than two and a quarter inches from the
stock in which they are fixed, I increase the length as much beyond that
limit as is necessary to do away with the ordinary scrubbing action, and to
substitute for it the dragging and wiping action referred to.
In some cases I make use of a combination of the two kinds of brushes in
one machine. Otherwise it, may, under some circumstances, be found desirable
to attain the dragging and wiping action referred to by hanging brushes of the
ordinary construction upon suitable joints or flexible connections.
Secondly, in the construction of brushes for cleaning grain or dressing it
after being ground with wrought iron or other metallic stocks.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said John Ashby in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 27th
April 1861.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ASHBY. of Croydon, in the County of Surrey, Miller, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty, Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of October, in the year of our
Lord One thousand eight hundred and sixty, in the twenty-fourth year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me, the
said John Ashby, Her special licence, that I, the said John Ashby, my exe-
cutors, administrators, and assigus, or such others as I, the said John Ashby,
my exccutors, administrators, and assigns should.at any time agree with, and no
others, from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend within the
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel Islands, and Isle
of Man, an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR CLEANING GRAIN
BEFORE GRINDING, AND IN DRESSING THE SAME AFTER BEING GROUND," upon the
condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Ashby, my executors or
administrators, by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their
hands and seals, should particularly describe and ascertain the nature of the
said Invention, and in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause
the same to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
. NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said John Ashby, do hereby declare the
nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-

page_text: formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:-
This Invention consists, firstly, in the employment, for the purposes referrel
to, of brushes driven rapidly round within a cylindrical or other formed screen
or sieve, such brushes being formed with longer bristles, hair, or other
material than those hitherto used for such purposes, and being so placed or so
made as when thrown outward by the centrifugal force (or by the centrifugal
force and their own elasticity combined) to drag or lic upon or against, and
wipe the smut and other refuse matters of the unground grain, or the finer parts
of the ground grain, as the case may be, through the screen instead of acting,
as brushes have heretofore been made to act in such cases, by scrubbing the
ground or unground grain against the screen. Thus, instead of making use
of brushes for dressing the ground grain, having bristles of hair or other
material, limited as heretofore to a length of about two and a quarter inches
from the stock in which they are fixed, I increase the length as much beyond
that limit as is necessary to do away with the ordinary scrubbing action, and
to substitute for it the dragging and wiping action referred to.
In some cases I make use of a combination of the two kinds of brushes
in one machine. Otherwise it may, under some circumstances, be found
desirable to attain the dragging and wiping action referred to by hanging
brushes of the ordinary construction upon suitable joints or flexible con-
nections.
Secondly, in the construction of brushes for cleaning grain, or dressing it:
after being ground with wrought iron or other metallic stocks.
The manner in which my said Invention may be carried into effect will be
fully understood on reference to the accompanying Sheet of Drawings.
"
Fig. 1 of which represents a transverse section of a cylindrical sieve.or
screen of wire gauze a, within which is caused to revolve the shaft b carrying
a series of arms c, to which are attached the brushes d formed, in this instance,
with ordinary wooden stocks, but having the operating part made with long.
hair, bristles, or other fibre, and being so placed as to drag upon and wipe:
(instead of scrubbing) the ground or unground grain against the screen; as
previously explained. The unground or ground grain requiring to be cleaned
or dressed is fed into the cylinder by any convenient known method; and the
shaft b being caused to revolve rapidly, and to carry round the brushes in the
direction of the arrows, causes them to operate upon the grain or flour as
required. It will of course be necessary that the strength and nature of the
fibre of which the brushes are formed, and the speed at which they are driven
be adapted to the nature of the work to be performed, as, for example, it may.

page_text: Fin some cases be found advisable to make use of fine wire or of an admixture
of such wire with animal or vegetable fibres; as also to modify. more or less
the manner in which the brushes are applied.
Fig. 2 is a view similar to the foregoing, but in this case the brushes d
are constructed with metallic stocks, e formed of sheet iron bent (as shewn to
an enlarged scale at Fig. 3), so as to enable the hair or other fibre, to be
inserted, and by means of screws or rivets pinched and held between the two
sides of the stocks; otherwise the stock may be formed of two distinct plates,
and the fibre pinched between them by screws or rivets, as described.
Fig. 4 is a transverse section of a cylinder similar to Figs. 1 and 2, shewing
a method of applying brushes of the ordinary kind so as to act according to
my Invention. In this case the brushes d are attached to the arms c by
means of springs f, and any excess of outward pressure arising from centrifugal
force is counteracted by means of india-rubber or other springs g.
Figure 5 represents a section as before. In this case I make use of
brushes h, made and acting in the ordinary manner in combination with an
equal number d, made and placed so as to act according to my Invention.
..Fig. 6 is a vertical section of a machine for cleaning grain, similar in its
general construction to that described in the Specification of the Patent,
No. 2388, granted to me 15th September, A.D. 1857, but having instead of
the wire fringed beaters there mentioned, alternately a brush d acting
according to my present Invention, and a plate or bar beater i constructed
and acting in the ordinary manner.
my present Invention may be used
fringed beaters before referred to.
foregoing.
Otherwise brushes acting according to
in combination (alternately) with the
Fig. 7 is a transverse section of the
Fig. 8 is a vertical section partly in elevation of a machine to which my
improved brushes are applied for the purpose of dressing flour; and Fig. 9 a
horizontal section of the same. In this case the ground grain or flour is fed
in at the top of the machine by the hopper j, and passing downward is caught
and pressed or wiped by the rapidly revolving brushes against the wire gauze
cylinder a, through which the finer particles are thus driven and fall into the
spouts. Other portions known as dustings find their way through the gauze
into the annular casing surrounding the bottom part of the cylinder, and thence
pass away downward by sleeves or spouts l. The bran falls from the bottom of
the cylinder and is received by a spout placed between the sleeves or spouts 7.
A screw propeller m driven by a band from the main shaft 6 is for the
purpose
of creating a slight draught outward from the chamber », and thus assisting
to draw the flour through the wire gauze cylinder.

page_text: It is to be observed that although both the grain cleaning machine repre-
sented at Figs. 6 and 7, and the dressing machine just described are vertical
machines, the use of my Invention is not limited to such machines, but is
applicable also to those in which the cylindrical or other screen or sieve is
placed in a position more or less approaching the horizontal.
Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of my said Invention,
and in what manner the same may be performed, I wish it to be understood
that I do not confine myself to the precise details or arrangements berein set
forth, as the same are susceptible of various modifications without departing
from the distinctive features of my Invention, with reference to which I
claim,-
Firstly, the use or employment for the purposes referred to (either alone or
in combination with other brushes, or with beaters) of brushes driven or
carried rapidly round within a suitably formed screen or sieve, such brushes
being so placed or so made as by the action of the centrifugal force, or of the
centrifugal force and their own elasticity combined, to lie and press and wipe
against the screen in the manner described.
Secondly, the construction of brushes for cleaning grain or dressing it after
being ground with wrought iron or other metallic stocks.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ashby, have hereto set my band
and seal, this Twenty-seventh day of April, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-one.
Witness,
FRANCIS WISE, C.E.,
Chandos Chambers,
Buckingham Street, Adelphi.
JOHN ASHBY. (L.S.)