Improvements in Hominy-mills or Degerminating Machines.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Mar., 1893-Accepted, 29th Apr., 1893
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Hominy-mills or Degerminating Machines.
I, GEORGE BURCHELL WILLIAMS, residing at the Hotel Belgravia, London,
S.W. Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner
the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement :-
My invention relates to the construction of cylinders for hominy-mills or deger-
minating machines, and the means for securing the blades to the cylinders, and
will be understood from the following description reference being had to the
accompanying sheet of drawing illustrating my invention and upon which
Figure 1, represents a side view of the cylinder, with the blades in place on the
upper and lower plates, the blades being left off the plate in front so as not to
confuse the view.
Figure 2, represents a longitudinal section of the same.
Figure 3, represents a cross section on the line x-x Fig. 1.
Figure 4 is a front view of one of the blades, with the open slot vertical ; and
Figure 5 represents a front view of one of the blades with the open slot in a
horizontal position.
C is a wooden cylinder with four squared sides, to each of which the iron plate p
having projections or lugs 1, is attached by screws or bolts. The corners of the
cylinder are dressed off, as shown in Fig. 3, and the flat surfaces thus formed are
covered for the purpose of balancing the cylinder, by beveled plates bp; or pieces
of metal fare inserted for the purpose, as shown in Fig. 3, where two of the
corners are covered by the plates bp and two are filled with metal, the result in
either case being similar viz., the wooden cylinder at these points is balanced or
weighted, so that it will run true while in operation. Through the length of this
wooden cylinder C runs the iron axis or shaft a squared in the wood, but turned
round at either end for journals. The plates p have lugs projecting outward at
regular intervals of distance through holes, in which a threaded rod sr, is passed
loosely, this rod being long enough to pass through all the lugs. This rod is
threaded to receive set nuts n, one of which is set at either end of each of the
lugs and works against a washer or loose plate 20 p.
Between this washer-plate and the end of the lug the tooth or blade b is set, the
open slot allowing the blade to pass the rod sr until the latter rests against the
rounded end of the slot. This slot may be cut in the blade either vertically or
horizontally, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. When the blade is fixed in place, the
nut n is tightened upon the rod s against the plate wp, and the tooth is held
firmly in position for work. If the tooth becomes dull or broken, by loosening the
nut, it may easily be removed without disturbing any one of the others, and in this
respect my device has a great advantage over machines whose blades cannot be
separately removed.
Again, the form of the blades b is a great improvement over those having a
narrow shank, for at these narrow places the blade is almost sure to break, while
my blade is of uniform width throughout and of uniform strength. The slight
curve of the cutting edge of my blade is better than a shorter curve, for the latter
wears away more rapidly and sooner comes to a point, and is rendered useless.
The Figures 1, 2, 3 and 4 upon the cylinder in Fig. 1, serve to indicate the
relative points where the blades are placed on the four sides, these points being so
relatively spaced that between each pair of lugs on the same plate the spiral
around the cylinder is broken, and this prevents the crowding and packing of the
grain at one end of the cylinder. This always occurs where the continual spiral is

page_text: not broken, and the result is that very soon the cylinder is so tightly packed that
the belt will fly off, the cylinder stopped or burst.
Of course it will be understood by all those familiar with the art of constructing
or operating hominy-mills or degerminating machines that the devices here shown
and described are placed inside a hollow casing, having an opening into which the
grain is poured; but this casing is no part of my new invention, and therefore need
not be here described.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The wooden cylinder C, having squared sides and mounted on axis a, the
metal plates p, adapted to be secured to the squared sides of the cylinder, and
provided with lugs 1, integral with the plates, and set at such distances apart as to
break a continuous spiral from one end of the cylinder to the other, all combined
substantially as described.
2. The wooden cylinder C having squared sides and mounted on axis a, the
metal plates p, provided with lugs integral with the plates, adapted to be secured
to the sides of the cylinder, and balancing devices, secured at the corners of the
cylinder, all combined substantially as described.
J
3. The plate p with lugs adapted to receive the rod sr, in combination with
such rod and set nuts n substantially as described.
4. The plate p with lugs l, adapted to receive the rod sr, in combination with
such rod, the set nuts n, washer-plates w p. and blades b, substantially as described.
5. The cylinder C, mounted on axis a, the plates p, having lugs 1, the rods & r,
set nuts and blades all combined substantially as described.
6. The cylinder C, mounted on axis a, having plates p, provided with lugs 1, the
rods sr, passing through said lugs, the set nuts n, washer-plates w p, and blades b,
with open slots, all combined substantially as described.
Dated this 22nd day of March 1893.