AN IMPROVEMENT IN A COMBINED SMUT MACHINE AND GRAIN SEPARATORS
Year: 1872

page_text: LETTERS. PATENT to Martin Benson, of No. 9, Southampton Build-
-
r
ings, London, for the Invention of "AN IMPROVEMENT IN A COMBINED
SMUT MACHINE AND GRAIN SEPARATORS." - A communication from
abroad by Simeon Howes, Alpheus Babcock, Norman Babcock,
and Carlos Ewell, all of Silver Creek, State of New York, United
States of North Amerion
1137
Sealed the 29th November 1872, and dated the 23rd July 1872.
7
..
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Martin Benson at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition and Decla-
ration, on the 23rd July 1872, pursuant to the 9th Section of the
Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, MARTIN
BENSON, of No. 9, Southampton Buildings, London, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "AN IMPROVEMENT
IN A COMBINED SMUT MACHINE AND GRAIN SEPARATORS," and have petitioned
Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors,
administr
nistrators, and

page_text: assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
Declaration that the same is a communication to me from abroad by
Simeon Howes, Alpheus Babcock, Norman Babcock, and Carlos Ewell,
all of Silver Creek, State of New York, United States of North America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Martin Benson, do hereby declare
that the following Complete Specification, under my hand and seal,
fully describes and ascertains the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same is to be performed, in and by the following
statement :-
The improvements relate to that class of combined machines which
both scour the grain and also separate the heavy grain from the light
grain and screenings, and the cheat and light grain from the dust, chaff,
and other refuse.
The object of the Invention is to effect a more perfect cleaning and
separation of smut and other refuse from the full grains, and from the
cheat and lighter grains than has heretofore been accomplished, and at
the same time render the machine more compact, simple, and cheap in
construction, and enable it to be more conveniently operated and regulated
than other machines.
The Invention consists, first, of a suction fan, a perforated inclosing
scouring shell or cylinder, an outer tight casing, and a draught passage
leading directly from the inclosed space outside of the scouring shell to
the fan case and provided with auxiliary air inlets, whereby the particles
of smut and other impurities as they are detached from the grain
and drawn or forced through the perforations of the cylinder will be a
removed and conducted directly to the fan in combination with a
separating wind trunk, in which the material discharged from the
Scourer is separated into three parts or divisions, viz., first, the plump
wheat; second, the light grains and cheat; and third, the chaff, dust,
and other impurities.
3
Second. In the combination with a grain scourer and suction fan
of two separating wind trunks arranged side by side, one receiving.the.
grain. before it enters the scourer and effecting what is termed a pre-
liminary separation, and the other receiving the grain as it is discharged
from the scourer and effecting what is termed a subsequent separation, 3
each wind trunk effecting three separations in a similar manner, the
products of the second separation from both wind trunks being dis-

page_text: charged near each other on the same side of the machine, while the.
products of the third separation (the refuse material) are, conducted from
both wind trunks into the eye of the fan.
Third. In the combination with, the wind trunk. and its separating.
enlargement or chess hopper of a vertical partition, whereby the main air.
current is suddenly reversed from a downward to an upward direction, so,
as to throw the cheat and light grains downward out of the main current,
while the chaff and dust continue in the latter and are carried by the
same to the fan.
Fourth. In the arrangement of an air inlet aperture in the chess
hopper or enlargement of the separator wind trunk below the point
at which the air current is reversed for the purpose of exposing the light
grains and cheat after they are thrown out of the main air current to
a counter current of air entering through said aperture, which current
removes the chaff and dust from the separated light grains and cheat
before the latter are discharged from the separating wind trunk.
Fifth. In the arrangement of a slanting board in the chess hopper
above the aperture through which the counter air current enters the
same, so as to direct the chess and light grains and said counter current
to a point where the latter is rendered most effective in diresting the
chaff and dust that is thrown or carried downward with the light grains.
Sixth. In the combination with a scouring cylinder and separating
wind trunks of a vibrating shoe or separator consisting of two or more.
inclined screws arranged in an inclined hopper and operated by a suitable.
connection with the main beater and fan shaft so as to separate the corn,.
oats, headings from the wheat, and the latter from the cockle and other
fine impurities preparatory to feeding the grain into the machine proper:
•
Seventh. Of a bridge tree constructed with an adjustable bearing, the
moveable part of which consists of a block of wood secured in place by a
wedge or equivalent, while the stationary part is lined with bearing
metal in the ordinary manner, whereby the size of the bearing can be
readily adjusted as it becomes worn.
Eighth. In the combination with the perforated scouring shell or
cylinder of a top and bottom plate to which the scouring cylinder is
firmly secured by suitable vertical bolts, and which are provided with
angular notches to. fit, between the upright. posts of the main frame

page_text: whereby the proper concentric arrangement of the scouring shell with
reference to the driving shaft is readily attained.
In the accompanying Drawings Fig. I. is a vertical section of the
machinė taken partly through the preliminary separating wind trunk
and through the lower part of the ascending leg of the subsequent
separator. Fig. II. is an elevation of the machine shewing the shoe
attachment in section. Fig. III. is an elevation at right angles to Fig. I.
śhewing the manner in which the grain is conducted from the shoe into
the ascending leg of the preliminary separator. Fig. IV. is a horizontal
section of the machine taken in the broken line x-x, Fig. I. Fig. V.
is a horizontal section representing the top plate of the scourer. Fig. VI.
is a partly sectional elevation of the upper bridge tree. Fig. VII. is
a partly sectional plan view thereof. Fig. VIII. is a detached view on
an enlarged scale of the cone connecting the space around the scouring
case with the fan case. Like letters designate like parts in each of the
Figures.
A is the rectangular frame of the combined machine consisting of
upright posts a and cross pieces a¹. B. is the perforated smutting or
scouring shell or cylinder supported within the frame A on cross pieces
a by a top plate B' and the bottom plate B2, between which the shell B
is secured by several bolts b, said plates being provided with angular
notches so as to fit between the posts of the main frame, whereby the
concentric adjustment of the scouring cylinder is 'ensured. The upper
ends of the bolts 6 are preferably formed in the shape of a hook so as to
'engage over a circular bead or rim formed on the top plate B' above the
shell B, while they are tightened 'on the under side of the bottom
plate by à nut screwing against a 'suitable washer, as clearly shewn in
Fig. VIII. Cis a tight case surrounding the smutting cylinder B so
as to leave a space D between the two into which air is admitted through
narrow segmental openings d formed in the bottom plate B³; E is the
vertical shaft arranged centrally in the frame A, and carrying near its
Tower end the driving pulley E, and provided within the scouring
cylinder B with arms F having radial wings or beaters of. The shaft E
is supported at its lower end in a bridge tree E² constructed with a step
bearing in the ordinary manner. At it's upper end above the fan case it
is supported in a bridge tree E³ constructed with a bearing, the adjust-
'able half of which consists of a wooden block e tightened by a wedge e¹,
while the stationary half of the. box is lined with bearing metal in the

page_text: ordinary manner, all of which is clearly shewn in Figs. VI. and VII.
The wooden block absorbing the oil assures a good lubrication of the
journal. G is the fan secured to the upper end of the shaft E, and
G¹ the case thereof provided in top and bottom with eyes g, g¹, respec
tively, and arranged between the upper cross pieces of the frame A at
some distance above the upper head B¹ of the scourer. ; are openings
formed in the head B₁ for the passage to the fan of the draught which
enters through the openings d. I is a conical shell secured to the upper
side of the plate or head B¹ so as to enclose the openings ; and the
space between the said head and the fan case, whereby a direct com-
munication between the lower eye g of the latter and the space D is
effected. His the preliminary, and H' the subsequent separating wind
trunk arranged side by side and separated by a partition h. They are
similar in construction, except that the ascending leg of the subsequent
separator extends downward nearly to the floor, so as to permit the
grain from the scouring cylinder to be discharged through a spout i
into it, as shewn in Fig. I., while the ascending leg of the preliminary
separator terminates a little above the top of the scouring cylinder, and
is provided with a spout, through which the grain fed into the leg is
conducted into the top of the scourer. The separating wind trunks
assume a horizontal direction above the fan case G³, pass over the
machine, and descend a short distance on the opposite side, where both
are provided with dependent chess hoppers k, as clearly shewn in Fig. I.
The inner side of the descending keys is formed by a vertical partition k¹
extending a short distance below the top of the fan case and into said
chess hoppers for a purpose herein-after 'to be explained. 1 represents
two air chambers or passages 'arranged between the horizontal portions
of the wind trunks and the top of the fan case; they communicate at one
end with the chess hoppers k, and at the other end by openings. with
the upper eye g' of the fan 'case. is a valve arranged in each air
chamber or passage for regulating the force of the current of air
passing through the same. m is an 'air inlet aperture provided in the
outer 'side of each chess hopper k, and 'm' a projecting slanting board
arranged in each 'hopper for protecting said apertures against the falling
cheat, and for directing the latter against the current of air entering
through said apertures; 'the force of the current entering through the
latter is regulated by means of a slide valve m² arranged therewith.
'n 'is a slanting board arranged in each hopper k below the slanting
board m¹-so as to form a secondary hopper, and a flap valve hung to

page_text: here met by the upward current of air, which arrests the smut balls,
chaff, dust, &c., and most of the chess and lighter grain, and carries
them upward with it, while the plump grain passes through the spout i¹
into the scouring cylinder; said lighter particles are drawn by the air
current over to the opposite side of the machine, and thence downward
. in a nearly vertical direction to the place of separation of the cheat and
light grains immediately over and partly within the hopper k, when the
direction of the air current is suddenly reversed, passing around the
partition upwards to the air chamber 1. The light grains and cheat
-thrown down into the hopper of the wind trunk by this reversal of
the air current are met by the counter current admitted through the
opening m beneath the slanting board m'. The chaff and dust are
separated by this counter current from the falling cheat and light grains
and carried upward, joining the main upward current going to the fan
The cheat and lighter grains are automatically discharged from the.
secondary hopper n by the flap valve n' into the bottom of the hopper k,
whence they are discharged in a similar manner by the flap valve n³..
The plump grain passes through the spout i into the scouring cylinder,
where it is subjected to the action of the beaters and the inner surface
of the perforated cylinder, which rubs off and detaches from the kernels.
the smut and other adherent matter, which is forced and drawn by the
centrifugal action induced by the beaters and by the suction in the
space D through the perforations of the scouring cylinder into the
chamber D, and connected thence by the cone I directly to the fan
without coming again in contact with the scoured grain. The latter
passes through the spout into the ascending leg of the subsequent
separator H' near its lower end, when it is again met by an upward
current which removes the light grains, chaff, and dust still remaining
therein, and separate and deposits the light grains and cheat on the
opposite side of the machine in the same manner as the preliminary
separation in the wind trunk I was effected. The smut, dust, and other
refuse are ejected from the fan case into a trunk W, by which it is
conveyed out of the apartment or building as required.
A machine on the principle herein-before described may be provided
with a single subsequent separator or wind trunk H, and both the
ascending and descending legs of it may be arranged on the same side of
the machine. By this construction the driving pulley E¹ can be arranged
at the upper end of the shaft, which in some cases is more convenient

page_text: than the arrangement thereof below the scourer, as shown in Figures 1,
2, and 3.
Both a preliminary and a subsequent separator may however be
arranged side by side in machines of this kind if desired.
In witness whereof, I, the said Martin Benson, have hereunto set 5
my hand and seal, this Twenty-third day of July, in the year
and eight hundred and seventy-two.
L