Machine for Cleaning, Sifting, and Separating All Kinds of Meal and Flour Employed in the Manufacture of Bread and Biscuits.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 20th Mar., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 18th Dec., 1895-Accepted, 20.h Mar., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Machine for Cleaning, Sifting, and Separating All Kinds of Meal
and Flour Employed in the Manufacture of Bread and Biscuits.
I AUGUSTE FERNAND DARRAS, of No. 21 Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to a machine for cleaning and purifying all flour and
mealy substances in general, as well as to effect, more especially in meal used for
making bread pastry and biscuits, the opening of the cellular tissues thereof, and
to separate the lumps or agglomerations of grain contained in the mass so as to
obtain from the meal the maximum quantity of nutritious substances.
I propose to attain these objects by constructing my improved machine in the
following manner :-
A druin or cylinder is mounted by means of a suitable sleeve furnished with a
number of radial arms upon a hollow vertical shaft carrying at its lower end a
mitre wheel. Within this drum are fixed at convenient intervals one above
another two or more horizontal sieves arranged to rotate with the drum and hollow
shaft by means of motion given as hereinafter to be described to the mitre-wheel
above referred to. Within the hollow shaft is arranged an inner vertical shaft
projecting upwards and downwards beyond the same, and supported at its lower
end in a suitable step formed in the frame of the machine and at its upper end in a
cap or cover provided with horizontal arms. Upon the inner shaft are keyed two
or more discs to which are secured a number of radial arms, corresponding to the
number of horizontal sieves, and carrying any desired number of brushes arranged
to sweep the upper sides of the sieves when rotating. At or near the lower end
of the inner shaft is mounted a second mitre wheel between which and the pre-
viously mentioned mitre wheel is arranged to gear a third mitre-wheel secured
upon a horizontal shaft driven by means of a crank bandle or other convenient
levice.
By this arrangement the two first-described mitre wheels engaging opposite
points of the driving mitre wheel will be rotated by the latter in contrary direc-
tions and consequently the hollow shaft and the inner shaft will also rotate the
sieves and brushes in contrary directions. To protect the mitre wheels from
becoming clogged with dust they may be enclosed within a suitably arranged
metal box. The entire apparatus above described is placed within a case of suitable
form open at the bottom to allow the flour to fall through and closed at the top by
a cover having a feed opening in its centre a distributor or other convenient device
leing arranged to intercept and deliver the meal or flour to the sieves. Preferably
the distributor is constructed of a series of inclined radial vanes secured upon the
inner shaft of the machine and supported at their outer extremities by a flange so
that the vanes rotate with the inner shaft. On the other hand the arms which
support the upper end of this shaft as already described carry brushes which
remain stationary in contact with the distributor, since the said arms are secured to
the cover, by which arrangement when the vanes rotate the flour is conveyed to the
lower ends of the vanes wheuce it falls into the sieve.
The walls of the drum and those of the outer casing may be permanently fixed,
but I prefer to make them removable as described below so as to afford facility for
cleaning the machine.

page_text: The following description refers equally to the movable drum supporting the
sieves and to the outer casing :-
The lower rims of the cases are cast in one piece with their respective supporting
arms and carry uprights stiffened by T-pieces which may be rigidly secured to the
rims. The spaces between the uprights are closed in by means of bent metal
sheets the edges of which are fitted in rebates of the T-pieces and rims, and
secured in position by means of nuts or clamps fitting upon screws fixed in the
uprights and capable of turning in recesses formed in the latter. To remove
either of the metal plates it is only necessary to turn the clamps into a parallel
position with the T-pieces whereupon the plate or sheet is released and the apparatus
may readily be cleaned.
In operation; the meal or flour fed in at the top of the machine is delivered by
the distributor or other convenient device on to the upper sieve whereby it is sifted
and freed from impurities. It then falls on to the second sieve which is of finer
gauge and is again operated upon the rotation of the sieve against the brushes and
Talls in a finely divided state into a kneading-trough or other receptacle above
which the machine may be either temporarily or permanently fixed as desired.
By this operation the closed cellular tissues of the meal are opened and the lumps
divided and reduced to powder.
Flour or meal thus sifted becomes when kneaded hydrated to such an extent that
its entire soluble constituents are readily saturated and dissolved in water, the
chemical combination resulting from reaction of the constituents in water being
much more complete than in the case of flour treated by ordinary methods, whilst
bread or paste made with it is lighter, more nutritious and more digestible than
that otherwise manufactured:
I may vary the details of construction above described, for instance by causing
only the sieves or the brushes to rotate, though prefer the double and inverse
movement; also, I may use a distributor independently of the machine, and may
adopt other devices for attaching the panels of the cylindrical casings than those
above specified.
Dated this Twentieth day of March 1895.
Machine for Cleaning, Sifting, and Separating All Kinds of Meal
and Flour Employed in the Manufacture of Bread and Biscuits.
I, AUGUSTE FERNAND DARRAS of Levallois-Perret in the Republic of
France, Engineer, late of 21 Boulevard Poissonnière, Paris 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 apparatus is intended to clean, sift and reduce flour to an impalpable powder,
before it enters the kneading-trough.
The effect of the process is to purify and generally improve the bread, by
eliminating from the flour of which it is composed, all foreign matter, and owing
to the great tenuity of the flour so treated, all its molecules can be thoroughly
kneaded, rendering the bread light, easily digested, nutritious and of an agreeable
flavour.
My apparatus is shown in the accompanying drawing wherein
Fig. 1 is a front elevation.
Fig. 2 a plan view.

page_text: Fig. 4 a tension-regulator, and
Fig. 5 is a detail of the distributor.
Fig. 3B on Sheet 2 is an enlarged view of Fig. 3 or 3B on Sheet 1.
The apparatus is intended to be hooked to the wall, under the flour-shoot and it
is composed of a case (A), provided with hinged doors (a) on its periphery,
allowing easy access to the inside of the case which is open at the top and bottom
to permit the passage of the flour.
In this case, a cylinder or drum (B) is mounted on the hollow shaft (P) provided
at its lower end with a bevel wheel (R") the said cylinder or drum being counected
with the socket (M) by a certain number of arms (H¹).
The crowns, respectively formed of cast-iron along with the arms (H, H¹) carry
a plurality of vertical uprights or standards, made of T-iron. These bars may be
consolidated at the top, by crowns of any section. The spaces between the
uprights are filled or closed by means of curved sheet-iron panels, the edges of
which are inserted in the rabbets of the T-bars and the crowns. They are held
in position by turn-buttons mounted on screws fixed to the uprights and capable of
turning in the hollowed-out parts of the said uprights.
In order to lift any one of the panels, all that is needed is to bring back the
turn-buttons into the axis of the T-bars and so liberate the panel.
Owing to this arrangement, the cleaning of the apparatus is made very
simple.
In this drum or cylinder, there are fixed, at convenient. heights, two or more
horizontal screens or sieves (T, T¹). The cylinder and the sieves are all of a piece
with the shaft (P) and are rotated by means of the toothed wheel (R¹).
The hollow shaft (P) has within it, a vertical shaft (C) resting in a step, or
bearing (D) and held at the top in a cap or top-piece (D) provided with arms (d);
on this shaft are keyed two or more bosses (K, K¹), in which are fixed a certain
number of arms (1, 1), provided with brushes (L, L').
Towards the lower end of the shaft (C) a bevel wheel (R¹) is mounted, the
purpose of which is to give a rotary movement to the said shaft.
The bevel wheels (R), R") engage with a bevel wheel (R) mounted on a
horizontal shaft (E) which is driven by an endless chain (F).
The chain (F) passes on the one hand over the wheel (f) and on the other hand
over the wheel (¹) of a piece with the fly-wheel (G). The latter is mounted in
ball-bearings, so as to reduce the friction and to make the apparatus work with
great speed with very small expenditure of power.
The driving-gear is provided with a device for tightening the chain.
The axle of the wheel f¹ is mounted in the nave 3 supported by a lever 4
pivoted on the bolt 5 secured on the piece 6 fixed on the wall. The lower end
of the lever terminates by a curved slide 7 moving laterally on a bolt secured
on the piece and provided with a nut for fixing the lever in any desired
position.
It is easy to understand that owing to the revolution of the shaft (E) the bevel
wheels turn in opposite directions, and consequently the screens or sieves (T, T¹)
and the brushes (L, L¹) turn also in opposite directions to each other.
The toothed-wheel work (R, R', R₁) may be enclosed in a cast-iron box (S)
which protects the parts thereof from becoming clogged by the falling flour.
The turning in opposite directions of the cylinder, or drum, carrying the
sieves, and the arms carrying the brushes, separates the flour, owing to the
shock it receives as it encounters the brushes, and sends it through the sieves.
The movement in a single direction, on the contrary would have the effect of
drawing away the flour without separating it and without allowing it to pass
through the sieves.
The distributor is composed of a set or series of shaking-arms (v, v²) which slope
downwards and are fixed by means of a socket on the shaft (C) and held at their
outer extremity by a crown These shaking arms join therefore in the rotary
movement of the shaft (C). On the other hand, the arms (d), which serve to

page_text: maintain the upper end of the shaft (C) as has been shewn, bear brushes (1) which
remain stationary, these arms being attached to the cap (N) and serve to bring back
the flour to the lower part of the shaking-arms (V) when the latter are turning,
the effect of which is to make the flour fall on the screens or sieves.
The operation of this apparatus is very easily understood:-
The flour conveyed to the first screen (T) by means of the distributor (V) is
first of all cleaned and freed from all impurities by passing through this screen;
it is then rolled on to the second screen (which is of a finer mesh) where it is very
finely divided and thence it falls into the kneading-trough, above which my
apparatus is placed, either permanently, or whenever required for use.
the operation above described, the closed cells of the flour are opened and the cores
or lumps in the flour are broken up and divided.
During
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:
An apparatus intended to clean and complete the granular separation or division
of all kinds of flour, essentially distinguished by the combination of a cylinder or
drum, the side-wall of which is formed of removable panels, having two or more
screens or sieves, with a shaft bearing two or more sets of arms provided with
brushes opposite these screens or sieves, driving-gear adapted to turn the screens or
sieves and the brushes, respectively, in opposite directions, a distributor made of a
set or series of sloping shaking-arms, mounted on and turning with the vertical
shaft of the apparatus, and stationary or fixed brushes opposite the shaking-arms,
and an outside case of any suitable shape and construction, having doors to
allow of easy access to the interior, the whole as described and for the purpose
specified.
Dated this 16th day of December 1895.
L. DUVINAGE,
Agent for Applicant.