Improvements in Dust Collectors for Separating, Depositing, and Collecting Dust or other Material from Air.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Oct., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 18th July, 1896-Accepted, 22nd Aug., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Dust Collectors for Separating, Depositing, and
Collecting Dust or other Material from Air.
I WILLIAM WALTER WILLIS of Duncombe Burrell Street Ipswich in tho
County of Suffolk Miller do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention relates to improvements in machines for separating, depositing
and collecting dust from air; applicable to machines such as are used in flour mills,
granaries, maltings, breweries, and other such like places for exhausting roller
mills, purifiers, wheat and other grain cleaning machines.
Firstly. My invention consists in making a cylindrical chamber preferably in
sections provided with flanges for bolting together, and into each section is fitted a
conical hopper, the said hopper being provided with a valve or trapped outlet at
its lower end and a series.of vanes or louvred inlets in the upper portion thereof.
Secondly. Means are provided in the base of the machine for guiding the dust
Indeu air from the main air inlet to the beforementioned vanes or louvred inlets in
the upper portion of the expansion or settling chamber formed by the valve trapped
hopper.
Thirdly. The beforementioned vanes or louvres consist of an inner and outer
series of deflecting pieces the inner series of which may be out and turned inwards
out of the side of the hopper to any desired angle or curve, and the outer series aro
also cut and turned outwards out of a closely fitting band which is made to slide
round the hopper in such a manner that the size of the aforesaid inlets are easily
adjusted to suit the varying circumstances. In some cases I prefer to make the
said vanes or louvres in the form of a tray or shutter in which case they are made
in sections and fitted into the sides of the hopper or hoppers in such a manner as
to be easily removed when necessary for cleaning and so forth I also sometimes,
uso a tray fitted with adjustable deflectors and arresting surfaces such as described
in my application for Patent No. 18292 of 1896.
Fourthly. As many sections and expansion hoppers with their 'corresponding
series of vanes or louvred inlets may be bolted together as are found desirable,
usually two or three of the above described expansion or settling chambers aro
found sufficient to collect the finest dust thus allowing the air (which is delivered
through a series of vanes or louvres similar to those above described and arranged
vertically in the central opening at the top of the machine) to be discharged into
the room in which the machine is placed in a practically pure state and free
from dust.
The mode of operation of the apparatus is as follows, the dust laden air is blown
or exhausted through the machine by a fan or other suitable means connected to
the main air inlet provided at the bottom of the aforesaid cylindrical chamber, the
dust laden air is recieved on a spiral platform arranged round the said chamber which
conducts or leads the dust laden air up to the first series of vanes or louvred inlets
arranged round the first expansion or settling hopper, the air passing through these
said vanes or louvres is divided into a number of small streams, and the series of
vanes or louvres are made to deflect the incoming streams of dust laden air in-a
slightly downward and forward direction on to the back of the vane or louvre next
in succession, in this way the deposition of the heavy dust is facilitated and readily

page_text: slides down into the valve trapped hopper while the boforementioned streams of
air continue to circulate round the machine passing over the succession of vanos
are again united and expanded over the settling chamber which forms as it were a&
vacuum into which the dust (which the expanded air is unable to sustain in
Buspension) readily settles and slides down the sides of the chamber or hopper and
drops out of the machine from time to time through the aforesaid valve trapped
outlet.
The nir still continuing to circulate round the machine rises to the second
series of inlots and procoeds exactly as described in the first hopper or settling
chamber excepting that the second and each succeeding series of inlets have a
slightly larger area, and the hopper or settling chamber is also a little larger at
each succeeding expansion, wheroby back pressure upon the fan is impossible the
air at no time while passing through the machine being in a state of compression
but it is gradually and continuously expanded.
The air after baving passed through the requisite number of expansions to
eliminato all the dust may be allowed to pass out of the machine through the
aforesaid specially constructed outlet at the top of the said machine into the mill
or warehouse as the case may be or if desired the air may be led away by any
suitable moans and discharged into the open.
Dated this 18th day of October 1895.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Dust Collectors for Separating, Depositing, and
Collecting Dust or other Material from Alr.
I WILLIAM WALTER WILLIS of Duncombe Burrell Street Ipswich in the
County of Suffolk Millor, 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:—
This invention relates to improvements in machines for separating, depositing
and collecting dust from air applicable to machines such as are used in flour mills,
granaries, maltings breweries, and other such like places for exhausting roller mills,
purifiers, wheat and other grain cleaning machines.
Firstly. My invention consists in making a cylindrical (or it may be any other
suitable form to suit circumstances) chamber preferably in sections, provided with
flanges for bolting together and into each section is fitted a suitable hopper
provided with a valve trapped outlet at its lower end, and a sories of vanes or
louvred inlets in the upper portion thereof. In some cases I make the above-
montioned hoppers to stand a suitable distanco from the outer wall of maching
anpported by brackets, and provide suitable deflectors which extend downwards
from the outer wall of machine a little way into the said hoppers whereby the air
is made to pass in a downward direction into the depositing space and upwards
over the deflectors to the succeeding hopper.
The beforementioned vancs or louvres consist of an inner and outer series of
deflecting pieces the inner series of which may be cut and turned inwards out of
the side of the hopper to any desired angle or curve, and the outer series are also
cut and turned outwards out of a closely fitting band wbich is made to slide round
the hopper in such a manner that the size of the aforesaid inlets are easily adjusted
to suit the varying circumstances; in some cases I prefer to make the said vanes or
louvres in the form of a shutter in which case they ara made in sections and fitted
into the sides of the hopper or hoppers in such a manner as to be easily removed
when necessary for cleaning and so forth; 1 also sometimes use a tray or shutter

page_text: Dited with adjustable detectors and arresting surfaces such as described in my
Patent No. 18292 of 1895.
Means are provided in the base of the machine for collecting and discharging
the heavy dust deposited therein, and for guiding the air from the main inlet into
the beforementioned expansion or settling chambers formed by the valve trapped
hoppers. This consists of (when the dust or material blown into the maching is of
a dry or loose nature) n spiral platform arranged around the base of machine and
terminating in a dust hopper or pocket into which the heavy dust drops. When
the dust is of a damp or clinging nature I provide an automatic cleaner which
consists of a suitable frame mounted upon wheels or rollers, to the underside of
which frame one or more brushes are attached which sweep the collected dust into
a dust hopper or pocket, the upper side of the frame is fitted with a series of vanes
onto which the incoming air current is directed by an adjustable valve thereby
imparting motion to the said frame which keeps the chamber always clean.
As many sections and oxpansion hoppors with their series of vanes or louvred
inlets or deflectors may be bolted together as are found desirable, usually two or
threo of the above described expansion or settling chambers are found sufficient to
collect the finest dust. The air which is delivered through the central opening at
the top of the machine may be discharged into the open atmosphere by means of
suitable trunking, or it may be discharged into the room in which the machine is
placed. When the air is to be discharged into the room I provide an ljustable
cap over the abovementioned air outlet which distributes the air all round.the
machine.
I will now proceed to describe the machine with reference to the accompanying
drawings in which :—
Figure 1 is n vertical section of a machine in which the spiral platform and
adjustable louvres are used
Fig. 2. a sectional plan on the line A. A.
Fig. 3. a sectional plan on the line B. B and
Fig. 4 a sectional plan on the line C. C.
Figs. 5 and 6 show two forms of louvres, and
Fig. 7. a modified form of my invention in which one or more of the expansion
hoppers are supported upon brackets from the onter casing leaving space between
the said casing and expansion hopper for the air to pass and provide with a
deflector whereby the dust laden air is made to pass in a downward direction into
the expansion and depositing hopper, then upward to the succeeding hopper or
outlet as the case may be.
Fig. 8 is a sectional plan showing dust laden air inlet, automatic cleaning
apparatus and dust outlets.
Like referenco letters apply to like parts in the several figures shown.
A is the dust laden air inlet. B purified nir outlet. C spiral platform, or
automatic cleaning apparatus. D dust depositing hoppers. E dust outlets. 'Fare
vanee or louvres through which air passes and by which access is had to adjust
balance weights to dust outlets and so forth. G is the cap or cover over air outlet
and H the air discharge.
The mode of operation of the apparatus is as follows the dust laden air is blown
through the machine by a fan connected to the main air inlet provided near the
bottom of the cylindrical chamber. Or the fan may be placed upon the top, and
the air exhausted through tho machine.
.
The dust laden air is recieved from the tangential opening upon the spiral
platform and consequent upon the large expansion given to the air on emerging
from the feed trunk the heaviest dust is immediately separated from the air and
deposited upon the platform, up which it is driven by the incoming air current to
the upper end over which the dust drops into a dust hopper or pocket from which
it is discharged automatically to the outside of machine.
In some cases I have found the dust of so soft and clinging nature that it grows
upon the spiral platform abovementioned thereby necessitating periodical cleaning

page_text: by hand to overcome this I provide the beforementioned automatic cleaning
apparatus which is actuated by the incoming air current. The apparatus consists
of two light iron rings or circles mounted upon wheels or rollers. Vanes for
catching the air are streched across the circles and attached thereto on the upper
side and suitable brushes for sweeping the bottom of the chamber are attached to
the underside of the said frame, the air is deflected upon the vanos by an adjustable
valve placed at the dust laden air entrance; the collected dust is deposited at
every revolution of the apparatus into a dust hopper or pocket placed in the bottom
of machine.
The air rising over the spiral platform, or the vanes of the cleaner, passes
through the series of louvred inlets arranged round the first expansion or settling
hopper, in passing through these said vanes or louvres the air is divided into a
number of small streams and the inner series of vanes or louvres are made to.
deflect the incoming streams of dust laden air in a slightly downward and forward
direction onto the back of the vane or louvre next in succession in this way the
deposition of the dust is greatly facilitated and readily slides down into the valve
trapped hopper, the air passing over the succession of vanes is further expanded
over. the settling chamber which forms as it were a vacuum into which the dust
(which the expanded air is unable to sustain in suspension) readily settles and drops
out of the machine from time to time through the valve trapped outlet.
Tho air still continuing to circulate round the macbino rises to the second serios
of inlets and proceeds exactly as described in the first hopper or settling chamber,
the second and each succeeding series of inlets have a slightly larger area and the.
hopper is also a little larger at each succeeding expansion, back pressure upon the
fan becomes impossible as the air at no time (while passing through the machine)
being in a state of compression but gradually and continuously expanding.
The air having passed through the requisite number of expansions to eliminate
all the dust may be discharged through the specially constructed outlet at the top
of the machine into the mill or warehouse as the case may be. Or if desired the air
may be led away by suitable trunking and disobarged into the atmosphere.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
improvements I declare that what I claim is :-
1. In machines for separating depositing and collecting dust from air, the use of
a cylindrical (or other form of) chamber preferably made in sections a dust
laden air inlet in the lower portion thereof provided with a deflecting valve a
spiral platform, or in lien thereof, the automatic cleaning apparatus,, and the dust
outlets substantially as.described.
2. Enclosed in the main chamber, one or more expansion chambers or hoppers
provided with deflectors or with a series of vanes and adjustable louvred inlets
near the top thereof, and the valve trapped outlets at the bottom thereof substantially
as described.
3. In combination with the parts in Claims 1 and 2 the distributing cover over
air outlets whereby the air is discharged all round the machine.
•
4. The whole machine combining the parts mentioned for separating depositing
collecting and discharging dust from air substantially as described, arranged and
set forth in the drawings annexed.
Dated this 17th dow ofIulu 1904
•
WILLIAM WALTER WILLIS,
Applicant.