IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DUSTING AND PURIFYING MIDDLINGS.
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Smith Sutcliffe, of Bacup, in the County of
Lancaster, for the Invention of "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR DUSTING AND
PURIFYING MIDDLINGS.'”
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Smith Sutcliffe at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 20th June 1879.
JAMES SMITH SUTCLIFFE, of Bacup, in the County of Lancaster. "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR DUSTING AND PURIFYING MIDDLINGS."
This Invention consists mainly in the combination of a centrifugal dressing
machine with certain portions of a "middlings purifier," the centrifugal dressing
machine being substituted in place of the reciprocating silk sieve or sieves ordinarily
employed, and the remaining portions of the purifier being substantially the same
as usual. The casing of the machine is divided horizontally into an upper and
lower chamber, and the lower chamber is divided vertically into four compartments.
The upper chamber encloses a centrifugal dressing machine consisting of a revolving
silk-covered cylinder, inside which is a revolving beater, and outside it a revolving
brush to keep the meshes of the silk clean.
This centrifugal dressing machine extends the whole length of the upper part of
the casing from end to end; the cylinder is however covered with silk of four
degrees of coarseness, the finest being over the first compartment at the feeding end,
which acts merely for dusting or removing the whole of the fine flour and dust at
once; the second is less fine, and the fourth is the coarsest.
The second, third, and fourth compartments form purifiers, being provided with
inclined shelves or "louvre boards" over which the "middlings" pass, and through
which a current of air is drawn or forced by means of a fan or fans as usual in
"purifiers" of this class. Each compartment is furnished with a worm working in
a trough at the bottom to carry off the produce.
The offal falls from the delivery end of the revolving "silk" or cylinder into an offal
chamber, and if necessary this chamber may also be provided with "louvre boards"
in connection with a fan, but in most cases this will be unnecessary, as nothing
but offal will be delivered from the end of the revolving silk or cylinder.
I would here remark that I do not intend to confine myself to four compart-
ments (that is, one "duster" and three "purifiers") as any other convenient
number of compartments may be employed if preferred.
.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said James Smith Sutcliffe in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 20th
December 1879.
JAMES SMITH SUTCLIFFE, of Bacup, in the County of Lancaster.
APPARATUS FOR DUSTING AND PURIFYING MIDDLINGS."
"IMPROVED
This Invention consists mainly in the combination of a centrifugal dressing
machine with certain portions of a "middlings purifier;" the centrifugal dressing
machine being substituted in place of the reciprocating silk sieve or sieves ordinarily
employed, and the remaining portions of the purifier being substantially the same
as usual.
Such being the nature and object of my said Invention, I will now proceed to
describe in detail the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed
or carried into practical effect, and in order that the same may be clearly under-
stood I have annexed hereunto two Sheets of Drawings illustrative thereof, and have
marked the same with figures and letters of reference corresponding with those in
the following explanation thereof:-
Fig. 1 in the annexed Drawings is a longitudinal section of my improved machine,
which I call a "combined duster and purifier."
"
Fig. 2 is a vertical transverse section of the same through the "duster" at about
the line A-B, in Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a similar section through one of the "purifiers
at about the line C-D, in Fig. 1; and Fig. 4, a similar section through the offal
chamber at about the line E-F, in Fig. 1. The casing a, a, of the machine is
divided horizontally into an upper and lower chamber, and the lower chamber is
divided vertically into four compartments and an offal chamber.
The upper chamber encloses a centrifugal dressing machine consisting of a 2
revolving silk-covered cylinder b, b, inside which is a revolving beater c, c, and.
outside it a revolving brush d, d, to keep the meshes of the silk clean.
I prefer to set the blades of the beater, which are over the second, third, and
fourth compartment (or purifying compartments) at the usual angle, and to set the
blades over the first compartment or duster, nearly parallel with the axis so as not
to propel the "middlings" forward through the "duster" so quickly as when
passing through the "purifier."
The centrifugal dressing machine extends the whole length of the upper part of
the casing from the feeding and to the offal chamber; the cylinder b, b, is however
covered with silk of four degrees of coarseness, the finest being over the first com-
partment e, e, at the feeding end, which acts merely for dusting or removing the
whole of the fine flour and dust at once. The second is less fine, and the fourth is
the coarsest.
The object of this variation in the silk is that the machines (as well as acting
as a "purifier") will separate the "middlings" into different sizes or degrees of
coarseness.
"
The second, third, and fourth compartments f, f, g, g, and h, h, form purifiers,
being provided with inclined shelves or "louvre boards" i, i, over which the
middlings" pass, and through which a current of air is drawn or forced by means
of a fan k, k, (or fans) as usual in "purifiers" of this class (see Fig. 3). Each com-
partment is furnished with a worm, l, working in a trough at the bottom to carry
off the produce; all the worms being fixed on one shaft m, m.
The offal falls from the delivery end of the revolving "silk" or cylinder into an
offal chamber m, n, and if necessary this chamber is also provided with "louvre
boards" o, o, in connection with the fan k, k, or with a separate fan if preferred.
Having now described the nature and object of my said Invention, together
with the manner in which the same is to be or may be performed or carried into
practical effect, I would remark in conclusion that I do not claim as my Invention
any of the parts of the above described machine when taken separately or apart

page_text: from each other; nor do I intend to limit or confine myself to the use of four com-
partments (that is, one duster and three purifiers) and an offal chamber, as any
other convenient number may be employed if preferred; but what I consider as
new, and claim as my Invention is, the combination in one and the same machine
of a centrifugal dressing machine with portions of a "middlings purifier" so as to
form a combined "duster and purifier," substantially as hereinbefore described and
represented on the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, I, the said James Smith Sutcliffe, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Eighteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy nine.
S. SUTCLIFFE
(ux)