IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING GRAIN FOR MANUFACTURE INTO FLOUR
Year: 1874

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Alexander Melville Clark, of 53, Chancery
Lane, in the County of Middlesex, Patent Agent, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN PREPARING GRAIN FOR MANUFACTURE INTO FLOUR."_
A communication from abroad by Oren Fritzzello Cook, of Grand
Island, in the County of Colusa, and State of California, United
States of America.
Sealed the 8th May 1874, and dated the 24th March 1874.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 24th March 1874, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
5
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COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said Alexander Melville Clark
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition
and Declaration, on the 24th March 1874, pursuant to the 9th
Section of the Patent Law Amendment Act, 1852.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, ALEXANDER
MELVILLE CLARK, of 53, Chancery Lane, in the County of Middlesex,
Patent Agent, send greeting.
WHEREAS I am in possession of an Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS
IN PREPARING GRAIN FOR MANUFACTURE INTO FLOUR," and have petitioned
0 Her Majesty to grant unto me, my executors, administrators, and

page_text: assigns, Her Royal Letters Patent for the same, and have made solemn
Declaration that it has been communicated to me from abroad by Oren
Fritzzello Cook, of Grand Island, in the County of Colusa, and State of
California, United States of America.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, 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, reference being had to the accompanying Sheet
of Drawings, and to the letters and figures marked thereon (that is to 1
say):-
The subject of this Invention is a process for removing from grain its
exterior hull or skin, and any adhering foreign substance, together with
a large portion of its germs, and without breaking the kernel, and as a
preparation for grinding, and the production of pure flour.
Under the present mode of manufacture, as in the making of wheat
flour, the outer husk of the wheat is subjected to the same process of
reduction by grinding, as the interior portions, and as a consequence, is,
with a portion of its adhering deleterious substances, incorporated with
the flour, discoloring and damaging the same just in proportion to the a
presence of such substances.
In order that this Invention may be more readily understood, I have
illustrated in Figure 1 of the accompanying Drawings a combination
used by me of the several devices herein described, A. being the hulling
machine proper; B, an ordinary conveyor; C, a tank to hold water; ;
D, a blower or fan; E, a polishing machine; F, F, garners to receive
the grain; G, an ordinary elevator; h, spouts; I, a grain separator; K,
driving pullies.
Figure 2 represents a longitudinal section of the hulling machine A,
as also an end view L, showing adjusting lugs on the segments of the
outer cylinder, whereby they are held properly together.
Figure 3 represents sectional views of perforated metal plates, as used
by me in constructing the working cylinders of the hulling machine in
one of its forms.
In constructing the hulling machine I use either perforated metal {
plates, say of iron or wire cloth woven from iron or steel wire, as the
material forming the working surfaces of the cylinders.

page_text: If metal plates are used, they are first perforated in squares of, say
three-eighths of an inch, by means of a pointed punch, which tears the
metal in being driven through it, raising a burr on the under side, and
as shown in Figure 3, presenting a surface similar to that of an ordinary
nutmeg grater, the holes being, say about one-sixteenth of an inch in
diameter, and the burrs about the same depth as the diameter of the
holes. The plates are then formed into two cylinders of any desired
diameter and length, one of them in segments so as to admit of enlarge-
ment or diminution of its diameter at pleasure, whereby to increase or
diminish the space between the cylinders in which the work of hulling is
done. This cylinder is fixed in a frame vertically; the other is adjusted
to a shaft so as to revolve within the calibre of the first, and is so placed
as to leave a space between them of, say half an inch, the velocity
of the revolving cylinder being about five hundred revolutions in a
minute.
In the fixed or outer cylinder the burrs formed in punching the metal
plates are on its concave surface; in this inner one they are on the
convex surface.
When using wire cloth as the working faces of the cylinders I have a
backing of sheet iron or other metal to prevent the escape of detached
bran or husk through the meshes of the cloth. In all other respects the
cylinders are similar to those constructed of metal plates.
The office of the roughened surfaces of the cylinders in either form
would seem to be to form and hold the wetted detached bran or husk as
an intervening substance between such surfaces and the grain, thus
preventing actual contact between them, the hulling process being the
result of attrition of the grain itself between the partially clastic surfaces
formed from the bran, and aided by detached bran incorporated with the
grain.
In the first operations of the hulling machine, and before the space
between the cylinders becomes filled with grain, many of the kernels
are broken and the hulling is but imperfectly done. So soon, however,
as such space becomes filled, the grain is scen to be almost completely
denuded of its outer husk, and vermiform pasty matter, composed
principally of fine particles of bran and dirt, issues from all the holes in
the cylinder plates, showing that a sort of pad or cushion, composed of
the matter rubbed off the grain must exist and cover the working faces

page_text: of the cyunders, and operating as partially elastic surfaces, preventing
actual contact of the metal with the grain, such substance being formed
continuously during the working of the machine, so long as the grain
is properly moistened when introduced into it.
With rubbing surfaces composed of wire cloth backed by a continuous
metal surface as stated, detached particles of bran and other matter
removed from the grain are driven through the meshes and impacted
against the metal back, and probably enveloping the wire itself to such
an extent as to present a surface resembling that of felt, against which
the rubbing is done.
The grain, say wheat, is let into the conveyor B, and water is allowed
to fall upon it from the tank C; or, if desired, it may be subjected to
the action of steam. Thence the wetted grain is carried by the conveyor
directly to the spout h, whence it falls into the huller A, the time
between the point at which the water or steam is introduced and the
hulling machine being just such as to allow the outer hull to be softened
without perceptibly wetting the interior portions of the grain. Thus,
softened by water or steam, the wheat falls into the space between the
cylinders, and during its descent through the machine is subjected to a
rubbing operation between the surfaces of the cylinders by means of the
rotary motion of the inner one. From the huller the grain and detached
husk fall into the flue of the separator I, where by means of a current
of air produced by the fan or blower D all light matter together with
the surface moisture of the grain is removed, and the denuded and
nearly dried grain falls into its appropriate garner, as at F, F, remaining
in the garner a few hours or long enough to admit of absorption of
remaining surface moisture, it is put through the polisher E, which
detaches particles of husk and other matter, as also the germs of the
grain exposed to its action by the removal of the outer husk. Thence it
falls again into a current of air, where all free matter lighter than the
grain, as also all remaining moisture, is removed, and the grain itself
cleansed of every impurity is ready to be ground.
Having described the nature of the Invention, and the manner of
performing the same, I declare that what I claim as new and desire to
secure by Letters Patent is, the process of removing from grain its outer
husk or bran, as herein described, to wit, first subjecting the grain,
after the ordinary cleaning, to the action of water or steam to soften the

page_text: husk; then passing it between two vertical bran covered metallic
surfaces, one revolving within the other, substantially as set forth.
In witness whereof, I, the said Alexander Melville Clark, have
hereunto set my hand and seal, this Twenty-fourth day of March,
in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-
four
Witness,
HENRY W. DEWEY,
53, Chancery Lane,
London.
A. M. CLARK. (L.S.)