New or Improved Machinery for Cleaning or Polishing Wheat and other Grain.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Mar., 1894
Complete Specification Left, 24th Oct., 1894-Accepted, 24th Nov., 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
New or Improved Machinery for Cleaning or Polishing Wheat
and other Grain.
I, ALFRED HEDGES BEASLEY, of Rockingham Iron Works, Uxbridge, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer and Millwright, do hereby declare the nature of
this invention to be as follows:
The new or improved machinery, for cleaning or polishing wheat and other
invention
of this
grain, forming the subject
consists of the following
arrangements:-
A practically airtight chamber is provided in which are fixed say three wire
gauze cylinders placed one over the other. These cylinders are preferably made
so that they can be expanded or contracted in diameter-by means of suitably
arranged levers and other devices. Inside each wire gauze cylinder is a rotating
brush the bristles or hairs of which come close to the wire gauze of the cylinders.
The brush in the uppermost cylinder may be made of steel wire for example, that
in the next lower cylinder of lighter material, and that in the lowermost of best
bristles for polishing purposes. On the top of the machine is placed a shaker sieve
moved by an eccentric or otherwise, and which delivers the grain to the uppermost
cylinder through an inlet opening preferably of the whole width of such cylinder.
The grain falling on the brush in such cylinder is carried round thereby in a very
thin layer in contact with the wire gauze until it escapes at a suitably placed outlet
opening also of the full width of the cylinder. From this outlet of the uppermost
cylinder the grain is led by suitable spouts to the similar inlet opening of the next
lower cylinder in which it is carried round by the brush in contact with the wire
gauze as before, and is discharged through a similar outlet opening into the
lowermost cylinder where it is further treated in the same way and finally escapes
at an outlet opening to be led away as may be required.
An exhaust fan is suitably arranged to draw the dust and fluffy refuse, which
passes through the wire gauze of the cylinders, away from the airtight case and to
blow the same into a room or receptacle adapted to receive it, or into the open air
if preferred.
Suitable arrangements may be provided whereby the grain, instead of being led
into the cylinder or cylinders below, may be led away out of the machine after
having been passed through a part only of the total number of cleaning cylinders
in the machine, according to the quality of the grain being treated, or the degree
of cleaning or polishing to which such grain is to be subjected.
Rotatory motion may be communicated to the brushes and to the exhaust fan by
belting or other suitable means, and it is obvious that the number of cylinders and
brushes may be varied according to circumstances.
Dated this 22nd day of March 1894.
A. H. BEASLEY,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, Agent.

page_text: New or Improved Machinery for Cleaning or Polishing Wheat
and other Grain.
I, ALFRED HEDGES BEASLEY, of Rockingham Iron Works, Uxbridge, in the
County of Middlesex, Engineer and Millwright, 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 :-
The new or improved machinery, for cleaning or polishing wheat and other grain,
forming the subject of this invention, is illustrated in the accompanying three
sheets of drawings in which
Figure 1 is a side elevation, Figure 2 a corresponding vertical section taken on
the line 1-1 of Figure 3, and Figure 3 a plan, partly in section, of a cleaning and
polishing machine constructed in accordance with my invention.
AA A2 are practically airtight chambers formed one over the other in the
framing Ax of the machine. In these chambers are placed cylinders composed of
stationary parts or segments BX which may consist of wire gauze, or of metal, or
other material not perforated, and of parts or segments B B B2 composed of wire
gauze or other suitable perforated material, and these latter parts or segments
of the cylinders are preferably made so that they can be expanded or contracted
somewhat in diameter by means of suitably arranged levers C C C² operated as
hereinafter described. Inside the cylinders are rotating brushes D D' D² the
bristles or hairs of which come close to the wire gauze of the respective cylinders.
The brush in the uppermost cylinder may be made of steel wire for example; that
in the next lower cylinder of lighter material; and that in the lowermost of best
bristles for polishing purposes. On the top of the machine is placed a shaker
sieve E moved by an eccentric or other suitable known means, not shown in the
drawings, and which sieve delivers the grain to the uppermost cylinder through an
inlet opening F preferably of the whole width of such cylinder. The grain, falling
on the brush D in such cylinder, is carried round thereby in the direction of the
arrow in a very thin layer in contact with the wire gauze until it escapes at a
suitably placed outlet opening G also of the full width of the cylinder. From this
outlet G of the uppermost cylinder the grain is led by a spout to the similar inlet
opening F of the next lower cylinder in which it is carried round by the brush D¹
in the direction of the arrow in contact with the wire gauze as before, and is
discharged through a similar outlet opening G' and inlet opening F2 into the
lowermost cylinder where it is further treated by the brush D' in the same way,
and finally escapes at an outlet opening G2 to be led away as may be required.
An exhaust fan H is suitably arranged to draw the dust and fluffy refuse,
which passes through the wire gauze of the cylinders, away from the airtight
cases A A A² and to blow the same into a room or receptacle adapted to receive
it, or into the open air if preferred.
Suitable valves or flaps I 11 12 may be provided in the main spout K whereby
the grain, instead of being led into the cylinder or cylinders below, may be led
away out of the machine after having been passed through a part only of the total
number of cleaning cylinders in the machine, according to the quality of the grain
being treated, or the degree of cleaning or polishing to which such grain is to be
subjected. For example, when the valves or flaps I II' all stand in the positions
indicated by full lines in Figure 2, the grain is caused to pass successively through
all the cylinders, but when either of the said valves or flaps is turned into the
position shown in dotted lines so as to cover its corresponding inlet opening F, F¹
or F, the grain passes on down the main spout K without entering the cylinder,
the inlet opening to which is closed by its valve or flap. These valves or flaps can

page_text: be opened or closed from outside the machine by means of crank handles L L' for
example.
Rotatory motion may be communicated to the brushes and to the exhaust fan by
pulleys and belting or other suitable means, and it is obvious that the number of
cylinders and brushes may be varied according to circumstances.
The levers C C C³, for increasing, or reducing, the diameters of the gauze wire
parts B B B of the cylinders, may be operated simultaneously from outside the
machine by means of a lever M connected by links M with lever arms N N1 N2
secured to the outer ends of the shafts or axes P P P2 carrying the lever
arms C C C² which latter are respectively pin-jointed to bars QQQ² attached
to the gauze wire parts B B1 B2 of the corresponding cylinders. By moving the
lever M upwards, the levers C C C are turned so as to exert a pulling action on
the gauze wire whereby the diameters of the cylinders are reduced so as to press
more firmly against the revolving brushes contained in them and the cleaning or
polishing action on the grain is thereby intensified, and by moving the lever M
downwards, the levers CC1 C2 are turned so as to relax the tension on the gauze
whereby the diameters of the cylinders are increased so that the latter press less
firmly against the brushes and the cleaning or polishing action on the grain is
thereby reduced.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what !
claim is:
First. The new or improved machinery, for cleaning or polishing wheat and
other grain, which consists of one or more cylinders or segments of wire gauze or
other suitable perforated material, each containing a rotating brush and having
inlet and outlet openings extending its whole width, substantially as described.
Second. In a machine, for cleaning and polishing wheat and other grain, which
consists of cylinders or segments of wire ganze or other suitable perforated
material and revolving brushes as herein described, the employment of contracting
and expanding cylinders or cylindrical segments, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
Third. The new or improved machinery for cleaning or polishing wheat and
other grain, constructed, arranged, and operating, substantially as described.
Dated this 24th day of October 1891
A. H. BEASLEY,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, Agent.
A. H. BEASLEY,
Per W. H. Beck,
115, Cannon Street, London, Agent.