Improvements in Flouring Machines.
Year: 1897

page_text: Date of Application, 27th Apr., 1897-Accepted, 29th May, 1897
Improvements in Flouring Machines.
I, HUGH MONTICELLO WHITNEY, Mechanic, residing at No. 4529 Arco Avenue,
in the City of St. Louis, State of Missouri, U.S.A., 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 improvements in flouring machines, and especially to
machines for hulling and reducing grain preparatory to flour; and it consists of
the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, hereinafter, shown,
described and claimed.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved flouring machine and looking in the
direction indicated by the arrow 1 in Fig. 2.
Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the machine shown in Fig. 1, one of the driving
shafts being broken away to economize space.
Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken approximately on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2
and looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.
Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of the roll shifting mechanism and taken
approximately on the line 4-4 of Figs. 6 and 8, parts being broken away to
economize space.
Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view of one of the rings used in the roll shifting
mechanism and shown in Figs. 4 and 6.
Fig. 6 is a top plan view of the parts shown in the central portion of Fig. 4, the
shafts being broken away to economize space.
Fig. 7 is a borizontal sectional view of the eccentrics which operate the rings.
shown in Fig. 5, and the view is taken approximately on the line 7-7 of Fig. 4
with the rings and shaft removed.
Fig. 8 is a vertical sectional view taken longitudinally of the machine and
approximately on the line 8-8 of Fig. 1, the frame being shown in full lines and
bevel-gears being substituted for the belt pulley.
Fig. 9 is a vertical sectional view of the crank-shaft and taken approximately on
the line 9-9 of Fig. 8, parts being removed.
Fig. 10 is a horizontal sectional view through the crank-shaft shown in Fig. 9
and taken approximately on the line 10-10 of Figs. 8 and 9 and looking in the
direction indicated by the arrows.
Fig. 11 is a view in elevation of the oiling device which I use in connection
with the crank-shaft shown in Fig. 9.
Fig. 12 is a view in perspective of the bell-crank-lever used for operating the
roll shifting mechanism.
Fig. 13 is a top plan view of the casting which carries and operates the concave.
Fig. 14 is a rear elevation of the casting shown in Fig. 13.
Fig. 15 is an end elevation of the casting shown in Figs. 13 and 14 and looking
in the direction indicated by the arrow 15.
Fig. 16 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on the line 16-16:
of Fig. 14.
Fig. 17 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on the line 17-17
of Fig. 14.
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Fig. 18 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately on the line 18-18
of Fig. 14..
i.:
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page_text: Fig, 19 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken approximately on the
line 19-19 of Fig. 2, parts being broken away to economize space.
Fig. 20 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken approximately on the
line 20-20 of Fig. 19.
In the construction of a flouring machine in accordance with the principles of my
invention, I employ a hopper-shaped base or frame 21. The grinding rolls 22 are
mounted above the base 21 and the spindles of said rollers operate in the adjustable
bearings 23. The bearings 23 are constructed as shown in detail in Figs. 19
and 20. The top plate 24 is formed integral with the base 21 and a dovetailed
recess 25 is formed from the upper face of said plate and extending transversely of
the machine; that is, transversely of the grinding rolls. The triangular block 26
rests upon the upper face of the plate 24 and a dovetail 27 extends downwardly
from said block 26 and slides in the recess 25, thus forming a sliding connection
between the block 26 and the plate 24. An elongated opening 28 is formed through
the plate 24 with its lowest dimensions in a direction transversely of the machine,
and said opening communicates with the recess 25. The block 29 is placed with
its upper surface in contact with the lower surface of the plate 24 and the screw-
threaded bolt 30 extends upwardly from the center of said block through the
opening 28 and is screw-seated in the bottom of the triangular block 26. The
bolt 30 forms a stop to limit the motion of the block 26 relative to the plate 24.
The upper surface 31 of the triangular block 26 is upon an angle of about
thirty degrees relative to the horizontal, and a recess 32 is formed in said inclined
surface 31 at approximately its center and extending longitudinally of said block;
that is, transversely of the machine. The bearing-block 33 bas an inclined lower
face 34 corresponding to the upper face of the block 26, and a lug 35 extends
downwardly from said face 34 into the recess 32. In the outer end of the block 33
is formed a vertical opening 36, which opening is elongated transversely of the
machine, and a bolt 37 extends upwardly from the outer end of the block 26
through said opening 36, thus forming a stop to limit the motion of the block 33
relative to the block 26. A washer 38 is placed upon the bolt 37 and rests upon
the upper face of the block 33, and a nut 39 is screw-seated upon the upper end of
said bolt, thus forming means of setting the block 33 in a desired position relative
to the block 26 by tightening said nut 39. An arm 40 extends downwardly from
the outer end of the block 33, and the lower end of said arm is bifurcated by the
slot 41. The bolt 42 has its point screw-seated in a horizontal position in the
outer end of the block 26 and in position to operate in the slot 41. A washer 43
is placed upon the bolt 42 and against its head and against the outer face of the
A collar 44 is rigidly fixed upon the bolt 42 and in such a position that
it will engage the inner face of the arin 40 as required to allow said bolt 42 to
operate freely in said slot 41. By the manipulation of the bolt 42 the position of
the block 33 may be accurately adjusted relative to the block 26.
arm 40.
The
The
In the upper face of the block 33 is formed the lower portion of the bearing in
which the spindle of the grinding rollers 22 operate. The cap 45 forms the upper
part of said bearing and is secured in position by the bolts 46 and 47.
bushing 48 is placed in the bearing thus formed in the ordinary manner.
shaft 49 is mounted in bearings in the end pieces of the base 21 near the upper
sides of said pieces and in position parallel with the grinding rollers 22.
arm 50 is fixed upon said shaft at a convenient point intermediate of said end
pieces.
An
The double eccentrics 51, shown in Fig. 7, are mounted one upon each end of
the shaft 49 outside of and near to the base. The double eccentric 51 consists
of two circular portions 52 and 53 offset relative to each other and formed
integral, or, if preferred, said circular portious may be formed independently of
each other.
The eccentric ring 54, shown in section in Fig. 5, is placed upon the circular
portion, 53, as shown in Figs. 4. and 6, and a similar ring 55 is placed upon the
circular portion 52. A circular arm 56 extends from the ring 54 and. has the
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page_text: screw-threaded aperture or recess 57 formed from its outer face. A similar arm 58
is attached to the ring 55. A rod 59 has one of its ends screw-threaded and seated
in the arm 56, as shown in Fig. 4, and upon the opposite end of said rod from said
arm is a globe-shaped head 60. A similar rod 61, having a similar head, is attached
to the arm 58. The rod 62 is screw-threaded upon its inner end and operates
horizontally through a screw-threaded aperture in the block 29, as shown in Fig. 19.
A band-wheel 63 is placed upon the screw-threaded portion of the rod 62 inside of
the block 29 and operates as a jam-nut against the inner face of said block 29 to
hold said rod 62 in a desired position relative to said block. The extreme inner
end of the rod 62 has the enlarged screw-threaded portion 64, in the end face of
which is a circular concavity to receive approximately one-half of the head 60.
The cap 65 is placed upon the rod 59 before eaid rod is placed in the arm 56, and
the opening in said cap is of such a size as will allow the head 60 to pass into said
cap, but not through said cap, as shown in Fig. 4, and said cap is interiorly screw-
threaded at the large end of its opening and is screw-seated upon the enlarged
portion 64 of the rod 62, thus forming a ball-and-socket connection between the
rod 62 and the rod 59. The jam-uut 66 is screw-seated upon the portion 64 and
against the end of the cap 65, as required to hold said cap adjustably in the desired
position. The rod 67 is connected to the head of the rod 61 in a manner similar
to that described with reference to the rod 62. A lng 68 extends outwardly from
the upper portion of the base 21 and a bearing is formed horizontally through said
lug as required to support the outer end of the rod 62 and allow said rod to slide
through said lug, and a hand-wheel 69 is fixed upon the outer end of said rod 62
for operating said rod. A lug 70 supports the rod 67 and corresponds to the
lug 68, and a hand-wheel 71 is mounted upon the outer end of the rod 67 and
corresponds to the hand-wheel 69. By the manipulation of the hand-wheels 69
and 71 the position of the blocks 26 may be accurately adjusted relative to the
base 21.
A connecting-rod 72 is attached to the free end of the arm 60 and extends
downwardly at an angle of about thirty-five degrees through the opening 73 in the
base 21 and to a point some distance outside of said base. A post 74 is attached
to the base 21 adjacent the opening 73, and a hell-crank-lever 75, shown in Fig. 12,
is pivotally connected to the outer end of said post by means of the pin 76. The .
lower arm 77 of the bell-crank-lever 75 is pivotally connected to the outer end of
the connecting rod 72 by means of the pins 78. The upper arm 79 extends
upwardly outside of the base 21, and a lug 80 projects inwardly from said arm to
engage the base 21 when said lever is in its locked position, as shown in Fig. 1.
Above the lug 80 the arm 79 is bent outwardly, and to its extreme upper end is
attached an operating handle 81.
The parts, constituting the roll shifting mechanism, are so adjusted that when
the bell-crank-lever is in its locked position, as shown in Fig. 1, the grinding rolls
When it is desired for
are in their operative position relative to the concaves.
any reason to throw the grinding rolls away from the concaves, the operator grasps
the handle 81 and throws the bell-crank-lever downwardly, as indicated by dotted
lines in Fig. 3; this operation rotates the shaft 49 and operates the eccentrics
carried by said shaft to throw the rods 59 and 61 outwardly, thus sliding the
blocks 29 outwardly, and thereby moving the bearings 23 outwardly and moving
the grinding rolls 22 away from the concaves. While each of the bearings 23 are
independently adjustable by means of the construction shown in Figs. 19 and 20,
all of the bearings operate simultaneously by the operation of the bell-crank-lever.
The bell-crank-lever and its connections are not intended as an adjusting device,
but rather as a device for throwing the grinding rollers into and out of operation.
Extending upwardly from the end pieces of the base 21 are the posts 82 and 83,
and a square or rectangular open ended box 84 extends longitudinally of the
machine approximately half way between the grinding rolls 22 and is supported
by said posts. The posts 82 and 83 extend to points somewhat above the upper

page_text: side of the box 84. Between the lower ends of the posts 82 and 83 are posts 85
which form strengthening ribs to support the lower wall of the box 84, as shown
in Fig. 8. The posts 82 and 83 are substantially alike and lugs 86 extend out-
wardly and upwardly from said posts substantially on a line with the lower side of
the box 84. The lugs 87 extend outwardly and downwardly from the upper ends
of said posts and, in conjunction with the corresponding lugs 86, form dovetailed
recesses in which the concave carriers 88 operate. The blocks 89 are placed
against the under surface of the lugs 87 and are held in position by the lag-
screws 90. When the blocks 89 are removed from their position, the concave
carriers may be removed from the recesses in which they operate laterally and
without the necessity of bringing them out end wise. The concave carriers 88 are
constructed as shown in Figs. 13 to 18, inclusive, and consist of the end portions 91,
which end portions are in the form of a dovetail in cross-section, as shown in
.Fig. 16, and operate within the dovetailed recesses formed by the lugs 86 and 87.
The intermediate portion 92 of the concave carriers is substantially concived in
cross-section, as shown in Fig. 18 and its lower edge turns outwardly and upwardly,
thus forming the books 93. Extending from corresponding ends of the concave
carriers are arms 94, which arms are turned towards each other, as shown in
Fig. 2, and the free ends of said arms are bifurcated, thus forming the ears 95
and 96 and vertically aligned bearings 97 are formed through said cars.
concaves 98 are placed in position against the concaved outer faces of the concave
carriers with their lower edges resting upon the hooks 93. The plates 99 are in
the form of a channel-bar and are placed in position with their lower flanges engaging
the upper edges of the concaves 98 and their upper flanges engaging the upper edges
of the concave carriers, and said plates are held adjustably in position by means of
the lag-screws 100, thus forming clamps to hold the concaves in position relative
to the concave carriers. The pitman rods 101 are pivottally attached to the
concave carriers by means of the pins 102 passing through the bearings 97 and
through the ends of said pitman rods. The pitman rods 101 extend through the
box 84, as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, and the ends of said rods opposite the
bearings 97 are formed into bearings which engage and are operated by the double
crank-shaft 103, as shown in Fig. 9. The double crank-shaft 103 is turned from a
straight cylindrical shaft, a cross-section of which is indicated by the circle 104
in Fig. 10. The bore 105 is formed over the upper end of said shaft and at
its axial center, and the upper end 106 of said bore is countersunk to form an
oil cup.
The
The oiling device, shown in Fig. 11, is inserted in the bare 105 and said oiling
device consists of the rod 108 which is substantially the same length as the
bore 105 and considerably smaller than said bore in diameter. The lower end of
the rod 108 is screw-threaded to receive the cap 109, which cap is substantially of
such diameter as that it will fit closely within the bore 105 and the lower half
of the rod 108 is wound with candle wicking 110, as shown in dotted lines in
Fig. 11, or other absorbent material. After the rod 108 with its attachments is
inserted in the bore 105, oil is poured into the cup 106 and allowed to run down
around the rod 108 and into the wicking 110. The cap 111 is screw-seated upon
the upper end of the rod 108 and covers the upper end of the shaft 103 and closes
the oil cup 106. The shaft 103 is turned down to form the crank 112, which
crank is eccentric to the axial center of said shaft, and an opening 113 is
formed horizontally in said crank and communicates with the bore 105, thus
allowing the oil within the bore 105 to pass outwardly through the opening 113
.and keep said crank oiled.
The crank 114 is formed upon the shaft 103 a short distance below the crank 112
and is eccentric to the axial ceuter of the shaft in the opposite direction from the
crank 112, and an opening 115 is formed horizontally in said crank and
communicates with the bore 105 for the purpose of allowing oil to pass outwardly
:through said opening 115 and lubricate the crank 114. A split box or bearing 116

page_text: is formed in the end of one of the pitman rods 101 opposite the bearing 97 and
said split bearing is placed upon the crank 112. A similar bearing 117 is formed
in the end of the other one of the pitman rods 101 and is placed upon the
crank 114. An arm 118 extends outwardly and upwardly from one end of
the box 84 and a vertical bearing 119 is formed at the upper end of said arm..
An arm 120 extends outwardly from the base 21, and a vertical bearing 121
is formed in the outer end of said arm in vertical alignment with the bearing 119.
The shaft 103 is mounted in the bearings 119 and 121 and a collar 122 is
fixed upon said shaft 103 above the bearing 121, and a similar collar 123 is.
Sxed upon said shaft below the bearing 121 to hold said shaft in position and
from end-wise movement in said bearings. The rotation of the shaft 103
reciprocates the concaves 98 relative to the grinding rolls 22. The shaft 103 may
be driven by the belt-pulley 124, as shown in Fig. 1, or it may be driven by the
beveled gears 125 and 126, as shown in Fig. 8, or the pitman rods 101 may be
reciprocated in any suitable manner.
One of the grinding rolls is driven by the belt-pulley 127 attached to its spindle
and outside of the bearings of sail roll, and the other one of the grinding rolls is
driven by a similar pulley (not shown) attached at the opposite end of the machine.
from the pulley shown, as indicated by the lines broken away in Fig. 2.
The operation of my improved machine will be obvious to those familiar with the
art and need not be repeated.
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. In a grinding machine, a suitable frame having dovetailed recesses in its sides,
concave carriers slidingly mounted in said dovetailed recesses, concaves detachably
connected to and carried by said concave carriers, pitman rods attached to corre-.
sponding ends of said concave carriers and extending back of said concave carriers
to the opposite end of the machine, and means of operating said pitman rods
whereby said concave carriers are reciprocated substantially as specified.
2. In a grinding machine, a suitable frame having dovetailed recesses in its sides,.
concave carriers slidingly mounted in said dovetailed recesses, concaves detachably
connected to and carried by said concave carriers, pitman rods attached to corre-
sponding ends of said concave carriers and extending back of said concave carriers
to the opposite end of the machine, a double crank-shaft mounted in vertical
bearings at said opposite end of the machine, to the cranks of which the free ends.
of said pitman rods are attached, and means of rotating said crank-shaft, thus
operating said pitman rods and reciprocating said concaves, substantially as
specified.
3. In a flouring machine, grinding rollers mounted in adjustable bearings whereby
said rollers may be adjusted in any desired direction, an eccentric shaft mounted in
a position parallel with said grinding rollers, connections between said adjustable
bearings and said eccentric shaft, and means of rotating said eccentric shaft
whereby said bearings are operated simultaneously to move said rollers to and out
of their operative positions, substantially as specified.
4. In a flouring machine, grinding rollers mounted in adjustable bearings
whereby said grinding rollers may be adjusted in any desired direction; each of
said bearings consisting of a block mounted to slide in a horizontal position and
having an inclined upper face, a second block mounted to slide upon said inclined
face and carrying the bearings in which said grinding rollers operate, an arm.
projecting downwardly from one end of said second block and having a bifurcated
lower end, a bolt operating in said bifurcated lower end and screw-seated in the
first mentioned block, shoulders upon said bolt upon opposite sides of said arm
whereby the manipulation of said bolt will slide said second block upon said inclined
face, a vertical transversely elongated aperture formed in said second block, a bolt
extending upwardly from the first mentioned block through said aperture, and a.

page_text: nut upon the upper end of said bolt and engaging said second block whereby said
blocks may be locked together in the desired positions relative to each other,
substantially as specified.
5. In a flouring machine, grinding rollers mounted in adjustable bearings whereby
said grinding rollers may be adjusted in auy desired direction; each of said
bearings consisting of a block mounted to slide in a horizontal position and having
an inclined upper face, a second block mounted to slide upon said inclined face and
carrying the bearings in which said grinding rollers operate, means of sliding said
second block upon said inclined face and holding said block in the desired position
relative to said first block, a horizontal plate supporting said first mentioned block,
a vertical transversely elongated aperture through said plate and under said block,
a third block slidingly mounted under said plate, a bolt connecting said first
mentioned block with the last mentioned block and means of sliding said last
mentioned block, substantially as specified.
6. In a flouring machine, grinding rollers mounted in adjustable bearings whereby
said grinding rollers may be adjusted in any desired direction; each of said
bearings consisting of a block mounted to slide in a horizontal position and having
an inclined upper face, a second block mounted to slide upon said inclined face
and carrying the hearings in which said grinding rollers operate, means of sliding
said second block upon said inclined face and holding said block in the desired
position relative to said first block, a horizontal plate supporting said first
mentioned block, a vertical transversely elongated aperture through said plate and
under said block, a third block slidingly mounted under said plate, a bolt
connecting said first mentioned block with the last mentioned block, a rod screw-
seated in a horizontal position through said last mentioned block, means of
operating said rod, and means of holding said rod from endwise motion, substan-
tially as specified.
7. In a flouring machine, the combination with a vertical shaft, having a bore
formed through its upper end and openings leading from said bore to the bearing
portions of said shaft, of a rod to be inserted in said bore, absorbent packing on
said rod, and a cap on the lower end of said rod to hold said packing in position,
substantially as specified.
Dated the 22nd day of March 1897.
HIGDON, LONGAN & HIGDON,
Agents for Applicant.