Year: 1887

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Feb., 1887.
Specification Accepted, 23rd Aug., 1887.
W. WELLS ELV SERGEANT millwright and Jacob HORTON COOK Lawyer, both
residing at Minneapolis, in the County of Hennepin and State of Minnesota one of
the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
residing at Minneapolis, in the County of Hennepin and State of Minnesota one of
the United States of America, do hereby declare the nature of the said invention and
in what manner the same is to be performed to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
-
Figure, 1, is a vertical sectional view on line, x-x, in figure, 2.
Figure, 2, is a horizontal section on line, y-y, fig. 1.
Figure, 3, is a detail view of the valve, 12.
Figure, 4, is a detail view of the dressed rings or annular plates.
Figure, 5, is an enlarged detail view of one of the bridging guards over one of the
draft apertures.
Figure, 6, is a detail perspective view of one of the cleaning disks, 2.
Figure, 7, is a sectional view of the fan chamber and fan.
Figure, 8, is a vertical section showing the manner of securing the brushes and
brush leathers in place.
Figure, 9, is a face view of the upper disk.
Figure, 10, is a face view of the lower disk and,
C
Figure, 11 is an enlarged sectional detail view showing the manner of securing the
brushes in their seats.
This invention has relation to machines for cleaning wheat and consists in the
construction and novel arrangement and adaptation of devices as hereinafter described
and claimed.
The important object which I have in view in this invention is to remove the germ
and fuzzy matter from wheat without injury or abrading the outer surface of the
kernel, commonly known as the bran portion, which is designed to be cleaned by the
working of grain against grain, thus presenting the natural strength of the cortical
portion uninjured so that when the grain is broken in the mill, the cortex will not be
reduced so fine as to adhere to middlings and thereby pass into the flour. To do this
expeditiously and without employing beaters, such as have heretofore been used, is
the main object of the present invention. Another important object of the invention
is to provide a draft downward through the central portion of the cleaning chamber

page_text: and supply the upward suction which is produced in the cylindrical flue leading to
the fan.
In carrying out the invention I employ a frame, A, which is provided at its upper
and lower ends with bearings to sustain a vertical shaft, B. C, indicates the outer
casing, and, D the inner perforated jacket or cylinder which bounds the cleaning
chamber. This jacket, D, is provided with a top having an opening therein, as shown
to receive the feed-chute, B¹, and is perforated to afford communication with the
suction fan, L, c, and, d, are annular rings of leather which are provided with
brushes and let into annular seats, e, f, in the adjacent faces of the rotating and
stationary disks, a, and a¹. The annular seats, e, and, f, are provided with radial
recesses, g, h, i, j, having dovetailed sides and in the recesses, lead or babbit metal is
run to fill them flush with the faces of the annular seats to receive the securing tacks.
The leathers, c, d, which carry the brushes are fastened in place by tacks, k, which
are driven through them and through the lead or babbit metal. The lower wall or
bottom of the recesses in the disk turns the points of the tacks and thus clinches
them. The disk, a, is provided with an axially bored hub, M, around which holes, N,
are made and these holes or draft apertures, N, are covered by valves, O, to regulate
the draft through the machine. The leathers may be made in one annular piece, or
they may be made in two or more arcs, as may be desired. The bosom of the
stationary disk, a', is slightly depressed or inclined towards the centre to assist the
passage of the grain.
The brushes may be of steel, jute, or any other suitable material. In operation,
the flanges of the stationary disk being secured to the perforated casing of the grain
cleaner, the brushes thereof will be held in a fixed position and the disk, a, being
secured to the usual vertical shaft, it will be seen that the two opposing brushes act
upon the grain which is fed through the opening in the stationary disk, a', by means
of a hopper or other feeder.
Instead of the brushes herein before referred to, cleaner disks may be employed, said
disks being arranged in pairs, there being a stationary disk or plate, 1, and a revolving
disk 2, in each pair, both disks having their proximate faces dressed as it is commonly
called in the art of milling, the space between the successive pair of cleaner disks
being gradually reduced from top downward, that is to say, the space between the
two cleaners of the upper pair being greatest, while the space between the two
cleaners of the downmost pair is least.
This modification in the construction of the cleaning devices I will now proceed to i
describe, referring more particularly to figures, 1, to, 7, inclusive.
1, indicates horizontal dressed rings or annular plates which are provided with
vertical marginal flanges by which they are secured at suitable intervals, one above
another within said perforated jacket or cylinder. These rings are provided on the
underside with dressed surfaces and are placed at proper intervals from the dressed
surfaces on the adjacent sides of the cleaning disks, 2, which are carried by the
shaft, B.
These disks are provided with draft apertures near the shaft, B, which are covered
or provided with bridging guards above as indicated at, Z, to prevent the downward
passage of the grain through these air openings. These disks are so adjusted upon
the shaft with relation to the fixed rings with which they respectively operate, that
the distance or interval between each disk and its ring from above downward is
gradually lessened in order that the touch upon the ends of the grains of wheat as
they are passing downward through the cleaning chamber will be kept up lightly, but
firmly, removing the fuzzy growth by successive light touches; without having any
effect to mash or press the fuzzy stuff into the grain or any recess thereof. It is of
great importance to prevent this mashing of the fuzzy stuff on the end of the kernel.
It can be taken off readily by light touches, but it is as easily pressed into a mass
when heavily touched, and when so mashed down is not gotten rid of in the subsequent
reducing processes, passing into the flour and injuring the same to a great extent.
In the mode of operation we have devised, by successive light touches this light
injurious growth is removed. 3, indicates an annular draft passage which surrounds
'

page_text: the perforated jacket or cylinder and communicates with the chamber, 4, communi-
cating with the bottom of the fan chamber; and, 5, indicates a flue which leads from
the bottom of the machine to the top of the fan chamber, 6. 7, indicates a fan which
is secured to the vertical shaft between the entrance from the flue, 8, and that from
the draft passage, 3. The perforated jacket or cylinder is also provided with lateral
draft tubes, 10, 10, which pass outward through the casing, 11, between its top and
bottom and are designed to supply any deficiency of air in the cleaning chamber.
In operation, the disks are first adjusted upon the shaft at proper graduated
distances from the dressed rings, as before described, the variations being about,
100, of an inch. Motion is then imparted to the vertical shaft when a strong draft
will be created by the suction fan upward in the passage 3, around the perforated
jacket or cylinder down through the grain feeding chute, B₁, and the openings in the
disks inward through the lateral tubes employed and upward through the discharge
spout, so that there will be sufficient supply of air to each disk to get rid of the
impurities and dust as soon as separated. The grain passing into the cleaning
chamber is worked upon by the first disk and ring being cleaned by the mutual
friction of the kernels at the ends more particularly, by the light touches of the disk
and ring as the grain passes between them and outward over the edge of the next
disk where the process is repeated the touch upon the ends of the kernels being kept
up because the distance between each successive disk and its ring is slightly lessened
as compared with that between the disk and ring above.
The dust and impurities are taken outward through the passage, 3, and fan. The
free dust fed with the grain is at once removed at the first disk and ring and the dust
taken off by the cleaning is taken out as the grain passes downward to be discharged.
The grain is discharged through the spout which leads into the flue in which a draft
is constantly operating to draw off upward all remaining light stuff which it is
desired to recover.
Light kernels, germ, cockle, buckwheat, and hulls, etc., are to be taken out through
the flue. A pocket is formed at, 13 having a door, at, t, so that the character of the
discharge can be inspected at any time. This flue extends to the top of the fan
chamber and a valve, 12, is arranged in it in order that the draft can be regulated to
draw up nothing except what is designed to be discharged through the fan.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention
and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we claim is :-
1. The combination of the rotating disk provided with the annular seat, the leather
and brushes secured therein, the draft apertures and the valves, with the stationary
disk provided with a dished bosom and the brushes, substantially as specified.
2. The combination in a grain cleaning machine, of rotating and stationary cleaners,
arranged in pairs one above the other on a vertical arbor, the space between the
operating faces of the successive pairs being gradually reduced from the upper to the
lower pair, as described.
3. The grain cleaning machine, when constructed for operation, substantially as
herein described and as shown in the drawings.