IMPROVEMENTS IN DECORTICATING MACHINERY
Year: 1877

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake,
& Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for the Invention of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN DECORTICATING MACHINERY." A communication from
abroad by Wilhelm Seck, of Bockenheim, Prussia.
ealed the 1st September 1877, and dated the 7th March 1877.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 7th March 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN DECORTICATING MACHINERY."
A communication from abroad by Wilhelm Seck, of Bockenheim, Prussia.
My Invention consists in a novel construction and combination of a series of sta
tionary, annular, radially-fluted plates, and a series of revolving tangentially-fluted
discs, whereby the centrifugal force is in a measure overcome and a centripetal
motion is imparted to the grain, and the decorticating and cleaning operation is per-
formed in a thorough manner during the passage of the grain from the periphery
toward the centre.
In carrying this Invention into practice I provide a series of standards or columns,
preferably of T shape in cross section, connected at top and bottom by cross bars;
also a vertical shaft having its bearings in upper and lower cross bars, and provided
with a pulley for driving it by means of a belt. I provide also an annular cast-
metal plate or ring, the periphery of which is provided with lugs having holes or
notches which engage with hooks or lugs on the standards, by which means the
ring is held in place. Any desired number of these annular plates are thus placed
in position, and the intermediate spaces between them are filled by bands of sheet
metal having their ends secured together by screws or in any other suitable manner,
and having perforations in their entire surface or a portion thereof, the portion
which is not perforated being corrugated in a vertical direction. The upper surface
of each of the said annular plates is inclined upward toward the periphery, and is
grooved or fluted in a radial direction, the extreme outer edge of the fluted portion
assuming a nearly vertical direction. I provide also a cast-metal plate or disc
secured to the vertical shaft by screws, keys, or any other suitable incans, so as to
[Price 6d1

page_text: turn with said shaft. A number of these discs or plates are thus attached to the
shaft, corresponding with the number of annular plates, and are arranged thereon so
as to revolve above the annular plates at a distance sufficient to allow two or
more layers of grain in the space between the upper surface of the annular plate
and the lower surface of the disc. The said discs or plates are formed with openings
between their centre and circumference, which openings are covered with wire gauze,
forming sieves. On the upper side of each of the said discs or plates are wings cast
with the plate, corresponding in number with the number of openings covered by
the said sieves or screens, and occupying positions between said openings extending
from the hub or centre of the plate toward the circumference in the directions tan-
gential to the hub or centre. At the outer edges of the annular plates are shoulders
or rabbets, in which fit the upper and lower edges of sheet metal bands. When the
parts are in place the bands and the outer edges of the annular plates fit closely to
each other, and form a cylindrical surface.
A portion of the said bands is perforated to form a sieve, and the other portion
may be corrugated in a vertical direction.
The apparatus is provided with a hopper for feeding the grain thereto, and with a
spout for delivering it therefrom.
The lowerinost plate or disc carries a number of downwardly extending wings on
its under side, and the bottom plate of the apparatus is arranged a sufficient distance
below the lowermost plate to allow the wings to move freely as the disc revolves.
The operation is as follows:-The shaft being in motion at a velocity of from
two hundred and fifty to three hundred revolutions per minute, the grain is fed in
through the hopper, from whence it falls upon the upper side of the first disc; it is
then by the centrifugal force, aided by the wings, thrown outward against the cylin-
drical sieve or band until it becomes so heaped up that a portion falls by its own
weight into the space between the stationary annular plate and revolving disc or
plate to a depth of two or more layers. As the shaft revolves the tangentially-fluted
disc has a tendency to carry with it grain in the uppermost layer, and the radially-
Aluted stationary annular plate has a tendency to retard the grain in the lowermost
layer, while the grain lying between these two layers is subjected to a motion some-
what resembling that of rubbing a quantity of grain between the hands. During
this process a portion of the grain is carried toward the centre and falls upon the
top of the second revolving plate or disc, is again thrown outward by centrifugal
force, and again falls into the space between the second disc and the second annular
plate, and goes through the rubbing operation before described, which operation is
continued until the grain reaches the lowest one of the annular plates, from which it
falls to the bottom and is swept by the wings into the spout, through which it
passes to a receptacle below. As the grain passes through the apparatus the draft
or current of air caused by the revolution of the discs and their attached wings
passes upward through the sieves and circulates through the grain, passing out through
the perforated band or cylindrical sieve, and carrying with it all [dust, dirt, and
impurities, and depositing the same outside of the apparatus. By this process the
grain is thoroughly decorticated, and deposited in a perfectly clean condition after
passing through the apparatus, and the impurities are entirely separated and carried
away.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 5th
September 1877.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, and Co., Patent Agents, 5
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN DECORTICATING MACHINERY."
A communication from abroad by Wilhelm Seck, of Bockenheim, Prussia.
My Invention consists in the novel construction and combination of a series of
stationary, annular, radially-fluted plates, and a series of revolving tangentially-

page_text: fluted discs, whereby the centrifugal force is in a measure overcome and a centri-
petal motion is imparted to the grain, and the decorticating and cleaning operation
is performed in a thorough manner during the passage of the grain from the peri-
phery toward the centre.
In the accompanying Drawing Figure 1 is partly an elevation and partly a central
vertical section of a machine constructed according to my Invention. Figure 2 is a
horizontal section partly on the line x, x, Figure 1.
A represents one of a series of standards or columns, preferably of T shape in
cross section, connected at top and bottom by cross bars B¹, B². C is a vertical shaft
having its bearings in the upper and lower cross bars B1, B2, and provided with a
pulley e for driving it by means of a belt. D represents an annular cast-metal plate,
the periphery of which is provided with lugs having holes or notches which engage
with looks or lugs a on the standards A, by which means the ring is held in place.
Any desired number of these annular plates are thus placed in position, and the
intermediate spaces between them are filled by bands E of sheet metal, having their
ends secured together by screws or in any other suitable manner, and having per-
forations in their entire surface or a portion thereof, the portion which is not per-
forated being corrugated in a vertical direction. The upper surface of each of the
annular plates D is inclined upward toward the periphery, and is grooved or fluted
in a radial direction, the oxtreme outer edge of the fluted portion assuining a nearly
vertical direction. C is a cast-metal plate or disc secured to the vertical shaft C by
screws, keys, or any other suitable means, so as to turn with said shaft. A number
of these discs G are thus attached to the shaft, corresponding with the number of
annular plates D, and are arranged thereon so as to revolve above the annular plates
at a distance sufficient to allow two or more layers of grain in the space m between
the upper surface of the annular plate and the lower surface of the disc. The
plates G are formed with openings between their centre and circumference, which
openings are covered with wire gauze, forming sieves h. On the upper side of each
of the plates G are wings g cast with the plate, corresponding in number with the
number of openings covered by the screens h, and occupying positions between said
openings extending from the hub or centre of the plate toward the circumference in
the directions tangential to the hub or centre. At the outer edges of the annular
plates D are shoulders or rabbets i, in which fit the upper and lower edges of the
sheet-metal bands E. When the parts are in place the said bands and the outer
edges of the plates D fit closely to each other, and form a cylindrical surface.
A portion of the band E is perforated to form a sieve, and the other portion may
be corrugated in a vertical direction, as shown.
The said machine or apparatus is provided with a hopper K¹ for feeding or sup-
plying it with grain, and with a spout K2 for delivering it therefrom.
The lowermost plate or disc G carries a number of downwardly extending wings
L on its under side, and the bottom plate 2 of the apparatus is arranged a sufficient
distance below the lowermost plate D to allow the wings L to move freely as the
disc G revolves.
The operation of the said machine is as follows:-The shaft C being in motion at
a velocity of from 250 to 300 revolutions per minute, the grain is fed in through the
hopper K¹, whence it falls upon the upper side of the first disc G; it is then by the
centrifugal force, aided by the wings g, thrown outward against the cylindrical sieve
or band E until it becomes so heaped up that a portion falls by its own weight into
the space m between the stationary annular plate D and revolving disc or plate G
to a depth of two or more layers. As the shaft C revolves, the tangentially-fluted
disc G has a tendency to carry with it grain in the uppermost layer, and tho
radially-fluted stationary annular plate D has a tendency to retard the grain in the
lowermost layer, while the grain lying between these two layers is subjected to a
motion or action somewhat resembling that of rubbing a quantity of grain between
the hands. During this process a portion of the grain is carried toward the centre, and
falls upon the top of the second revolving plate or disc G; it is again thrown outward
by centrifugal force and again falls into the space m between the second disc and the

page_text: second annular plate, and passes through the rubbing operation before described,
which operation is continued until the grain reaches the lowest one of the annular
plates, from which it falls to the bottom p, and it is then swept by the wings L into
the spout K, through which it passes to a receptacle below. As the grain passes
through the machine or apparatus, the draught or current of air caused by the revo-
lution of the discs and their attached wings passes upward through the sieves hand
circulates through the grain, passing out through the perforated band or cylindrical
sieve E, and carrying with it all dust, dirt, and impurities, and depositing the same
outside of the machine. By this process the grain is thoroughly decorticated, and
deposited in a perfectly clean condition after passing through the machine, and the
impurities are entirely separated and carried away.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as cominunicated to me from abroad
by my foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it under-
stood that I claim, the annular plates having a horizontal radially-fluted surface in
combination with the tangentially-fluted revolving discs, which have openings
between their centre and periphery, and are provided with sieves arranged in the
said openings, and extending from the centre of the discs toward the circumference
thereof, all as above set forth and for the purpose specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fourth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and seventy-seven.