Improved Mechanism for Adjusting Revolving Brushes such as are Used in Meal Dressing Machines, and other Machines in which Brushes Revolve in Contact with the Inner Surfaces of Cylindrical or Conical Sieves or Drums.
Year: 1889

page_text: Date of Application, 23rd Mar., 1889
Specification Accepted, 18th May, 1889
Improved Mechanism for Adjusting Revolving Brushes, such as are
Used in Meal Dressing Machines, and other Machines in which
Brushes Revolve in Contact with the Inner Surfaces of
Cylindrical or Conical Sieves or Drums.
We, THOMAS HENRY MASSEY, and EMILY BURSTON STANIAR, trading as John
Staniar & Co. of Manchester Wire Works, Manchester, in the County of Lancaster,
Engineers, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner tho
same is to be performed to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the
following statement :—
Our invention relates to an improved mechanism for effecting the adjustment of
brushes that are made to revolve in contact with the inner surfaces of cylinders or
drums, more particularly the cylindrical or conical sieves such as those used for meal
dressing and other sifting or sorting purposes. With such brushes it is requisite.
that, as they wear away, they should be adjusted nearer to the surface upon which
they act, and it is desirable that this should be capable of being effected while the
brushes are in motion. An arrangement for this purpose was described in the
Specification to Thomas Staniar's Patent No. 1859 of 1874, and our present improve-
ments have for their object to effect such adjustment more effectually and with
considerably less labour than was possible with the arrangement described in the
said patent.
For this purpose, we make the shaft that carries the brushes hollow at one end and
we pass through such hollow part a rod or spindle the outer end of which is so
connected to screw or other gear that while it revolves with the shaft it can be
moved by the said gear in a longitudinal direction.
The inner end of the rod carries a cross bar that passes through opposite slots in
the shalt and has connected to its ends rods running parallel with the shaft and
connected to one or more plates capable of sliding upon the shaft.
So far the arrangement is similar to that described in the said Specification
No. 1859 of 1874.
To the said plates are fixed toothed racks that are in gear with toothed rings on
screw nuts screwing on threaded stems sliding through the radial arms of frames or
spiders fixed on the shaft, the outer ends of which stems have clips that hold the
brushes. Thus it will be seen that on moving the first named rod in one direction it
will cause the sliding plates and with them the racks to be moved so as to effect the

page_text: rotation of the screw nuts, and these being held in the arms of the spiders so that
they cannot move longitudinally therein, they will cause the screwed stems to he
moved outwards and thus to set the brushes closer against the cylinder or drum, while
if the rod be moved in the contrary direction the brushes will be moved away from
the surface.
On the accompanying drawings is shewn by way of example part of a meal
dressing machine with our above described invention applied thereto.
Fig. 1 shews a cross section on line A A Fig. 5 of the dressing cylinder and shaft
carrying the brushes shewing a part section and elevation of one of the frames or
spiders Fig. 2 is a cross section on line B B Fig. 5 shewing the cross b; Fig. 3 is
a section on line CC Fig. 1 through one of the arms of the spider K, Fig. 4 shows
a front view of one of the sliding plates e with toothed racks and Fig. 5 is a
part longitudinal section of the machine shewing the whole of the adjusting
mechanism.
The shaft c on which are fixed the frames or spiders & carrying the brushes n, and
which is carried in bearings in the usual manner, has its end formed hollow to receive
a rod a, the outer end of which has a collar engaged in a box g capable of being slid
to and fro on a bracket by means of screw gear t.
7"
The inner end of the rod a
carries a cross bar projecting through slots in the shaft c and having attached to its
ends rods d d that are connected to plates e e capable of sliding on the shaft c, being
prevented from turning thereon by a feather and groove. To the plates e are fixed
toothed racks that pass through slots in the arms of the spiders and gear with
toothed rings on screw nuts h contained in recesses in the said arms.
Through these nuts pass the. screwed inner ends of stems that slide with their
counter ends of square section through square holes in the ends of the arms and
are there attached to the clips m that carry the brushes n.
From this arrangement it will be seen that on turning the screw gear in one
direction by means of the hand wheel, whether the brushes be stationary or in
motion, the plates e and racks will be actuated so as to rotate the nuts h and
thereby slide the stems outwards so as to set the brushes closer against the
surface of the dressing cylinder.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what we
claim is:
1. In mechanism for adjusting brushes revolving in contact with the inner surfaces
of cylinders or drums, carrying the brushes on screwed stems capable of being
moved outward or inward in frames or spiders on the brush shaft by means of
screw nuts actuated by toothed racks carried by plates sliding on the shaft; the
said plates being actuated by a rod passing through the hollow end of the shaft
which rod is capable of being moved to and fro while rotating with the shaft by
means of screw or other gear, substantially as herein described.
Cr
2. In mechanism for adjusting brushes revolving in contact with the inner surfaces
of cylinders or drums, the combination of a rod or spindle a actuated by screw or
other gear t and carrying a cross bar 6 passing through slot in the brush shaft with
rods d, sliding plates e, toothed racks, screw nuts h and screwed steins / sliding
through the spider arms and carrying the brushes narranged and operating
substantially as herein described with reference to the drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of March 1889.