Improvements in Sifting, Separating, and Collecting Dust and other Particles Held in Suspension in Air, and in Apparatus therefor.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application. 11th Mar., 1892
Complete Specification Left, 12th Dec., 1892-Accepted, 14th Jan., 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sifting, Separating, and Collecting Dust and other
Particles Held in Suspension in Air, and in Apparatus therefor.
I, HENRY HAWKINS, of 10 Belvedere Road, Lambeth, London S.E., Millwright
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention to be as follows:-
The object of my invention is to effect improvements in the method of, and in the
construction of apparatus for, sifting and separating flour, stive, dust, and other
materials held in suspension in air; and in collecting and conveying away the same
after such separation; the air being at the same time cleansed and purified.
And in order that the general construction of my invention may be understood,
I will describe one form of the same, as applied to the separation from air and the
collection of, floor or stive.
I fit one, two, or more rotating or intermittently rotating cylinder or cylinders in
an air tight case or cases; two cylinders being preferred; and fit below these
cylinders shafts fitted with screw blades, or other helical appliances, for conveying
the flour to suitable shoots or receivers.
The cylinders consist of a framework covered with silk or other finely perforated
material. These are mounted on suitable axles, passing through stuffing boxes fitted
to the casing, and driven by pulleys at a suitable speed.
The air to be sifted enters one of the air tight cases, and passes into the cylinder,
leaving the floor outside the cylinder, but inside the case; the flour falling and
collecting at the lower part of the case surrounding the helical conveyer. From
the inside of the first cylinder, the air is caused to pass, through a suitable trunk,
or other passage to the second case, surrounding the second cylinder, which it
enters in like manner, as described in relation to the first cylinder. The air issues
from this cylinder to the outside of the case completely purified, and may be allowed
to escape. The helical conveyers carry the flour to a receiver.
From the above description the general construction and application of my inyen-
tion to analogous operations will be understood.
One or more of the cylinder or cylinders is or are sometimes fitted with revolving
or stationary brushes, to remove any material which may adhere to the surface.
The cylinders may be made of wood, metal, or other material, according to the
nature of the dust or other material to be separated from the air; and the air may
be caused to enter the cases by pressure or exhaust.
Dated 11th March 1892.
GEO.
DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent..
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Sifting, Separating, and Collecting Dust and other
Particles Held in Suspension in Air, and in Apparatus therefor.
I, HENRY HAWKINS, of 10 Belvedere Road, Lambeth, London S.E., Millwright,
do hereby declare the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is
to be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement:-
The object of my invention is to effect improvements in the method of, and in the
construction of apparatus for, sifting and separating flour, stive, dust, and other
materials held in suspension in air; and in collecting and conveying away the same
after such separation; the air being at the same time cleansed and purified.

page_text: And in order that the general construction of my invention may be understood,
I will describe one form of the same, as applied to the separation from air, and the
collection of, flour or stive.
I fit one, two, or more rotating or intermittently rotating cylinder or cylinders in
an air tight case or cases; two cylinders being preferred; and fit below these
cylinders shafts fitted with screw blades, or other helical appliances, for conveying
the flour to suitable shoots or receivers.
The cylinders consist of a framework covered with silk or other finely perforated
material. These are mounted on suitable axles, passing through stuffing boxes fitted
to the casing, and driven by pulleys at a suitable speed.
The air to be sifted enters one of the air tight cases, and passes into the cylinder,
leaving the flour outside the cylinder, but inside the case; the flour falling and
collecting at the lower part of the case surrounding the helical conveyer.
From
the inside of the first cylinder, the air is caused to pass through a suitable trunk, or
other passage to the second case, surrounding the second cylinder, which it enters
in like manner, as described in relation to the first cylinder. The air issues from
this cylinder to the outside of the case completely purified, and may be allowed to
escape. The helical conveyers carry the flour to a receiver.
From the above description the general construction and application of
tion to analogous operations will be understood.
.
my
inven-
One or more of the cylinder or cylinders is or are sometimes fitted with revolving
or stationary brushes, to remove any material which may adhere to the surface.
The cylinders may be made of wood, metal, or other material, according to the
nature of the dust or other material to be separated from the air; and the air may
be caused to enter the cases by pressure or exhaust.
And in order that my said invention may be particularly described and ascertained,
reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which similar figures of
reference indicate corresponding parts.
Fig. 1 is an elevation, partly in section, illustrating the application of my inven-
tion to the separation of stive or other fine dust from the air.
Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional elevation of Fig. 1.
Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 1, showing one method of driving the shafts.
Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation, showing one method of applying the brush to the
cylinder.
1 is an air-tight case. 2 is the upper cylinder and 3 the lower cylinder. The
cylinders are mounted on axles 4 and 5, the ends of which pass through the case,
and are fitted with ordinary stuffing boxes (not shown in the drawings). Ordinary
driving pulleys are also fitted, whereby the cylinders are slowly rotated. The
ends 6 and 7 of the cylinders are closed by means of solid covers, and the ends 8
and 9 are open. These ends 8 and 9 are fitted with angle iron hoops working in
annular grooves so as to form air-tight joints in which the hoops rotate. 10, 10, are
shafts to which rotary brushes are fitted, and 11, 11 are shafts to which screw con-
veyers are fitted. 12 is a block of wood or other material, suspended to the axle
of the cylinder, as shewn in Fig. 4. This block counteracts the pressure of the
brush 13 fitted to the axle 10, when the brush removes the material from the
outside of the cylinder.
The air, with the dust or other particles held in suspension, passes into the case
through any suitable opening, as at 14. It then passes centripetally, through the
meshes or perforations of the cylinder 2, leaving most of the dust outside the
cylinder 2. The air then passes out at the end 8, downwards through
the opening 15, to the outside of the cylinder 3, through the meshes or perfora-
tions of which latter cylinder it also passes, centripetally, leaving the remainder
of the dust outside the cylinder 3; the air passing outwards from the case 1
purified, through the opening 16, or any other suitable opening or shoot.
The dust-loaded air may be driven into the case by a fan or other means, under
the necessary pressure, through the opening 14; or it may be drawn through the
caseby exhaustion from and through the opening 16. Trunks or flues are fitted to

page_text: one or both of the openings 14 and 16, as required, to suit either plus or minus
pressures.
The screw conveyers fitted to the shafts 11, work in suitable troughs 17, 17; at
the ends of which troughs suitable shoots are provided for carrying away the
accumulated dust which settles therein.
In Fig. 3 one method of driving by means of a pitch chain or belt is shewn.
The pulley 18 drives the cylinder 2: 19 the brush: 20 the screw conveyer: 21 the
cylinder 3: 22 the brush and 23 the screw conveyer.
It is obvious that the cylinders may be used singly, in pairs (as shown) or in
groups, and either one above the other or side by side, or otherwise arranged,
according to the description and quantity of material required to be removed from
the air. Also, instead of cylinders, as shown, conical, revolving screens may be
used, fitted to horizontal, diagonal, or vertical axes. Also stationary brushes may
be used to remove accumulations of dust from the outsides of the screens, fitted in
any suitable position.
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 apparatus for sifting, separating and collecting dust and other particles
held in suspension in air, the combination of rotary screens receiving the loaded air
centripetally rotary or stationary brushes operating upon the outer surfaces of
such screens,
and screw conveyers, carrying away the accumulated dust, all fitted
in air-tight cases, substantially as herein before described and illustrated by the
drawings.
2. The improvements in sifting, separating, and collecting dust and other particles
held in suspension in air, and in apparatus therefor, substantially as herein before
described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated 12th December 1892
GEO.
DOWNING,
8, Quality Court, London, W.C., Agent.