Improvements in Grain Cleaning, Decorticating, and Scouring Machines.
Year: 1895

page_text: PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Grain Cleaning, Decorticating, and Scouring
Machines.
1, ANTON BESSER of 7 Franckgasse Vienna, in the Empire of Austria, Milling
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention has for its object improvements in grain cleaning, decorticating
and scouring machines of that kind in which the grain is subjected to a polishing,
scouring or rubbing action by means of rotating biales, beaters or brushes of any
kind, in a cylindrical or conical casing arranged vertically or horizontally.
The machines hitherto employed could only be subjected to a very incomplete
draught or ventilation. In machines having closed casings, the draught or
ventilation could only be obtained through the ends, and in those having
perforated or gauze casings only through the surface of the latter, and in both
cases owing to the perforations or meshes having to be made comparatively small
and close so as to allow only the finest impurities to pass through, these
perforations or meshes soon became choked with dust and other impurities, s)
that they render it more or less impossible to obtain a powerful through suction of
the air.
This invention has therefore for its object such improvements in machines of the
kind mentioned, as will provide a strong and thorough draught, and thus not merely
the fine but the conrser impurities, which are specifically lighter than the wheat
to be cleaned, may be drawn freely and unimpeledly out of the machine at the
periphery of the casing, so that a complete purification, more particularly in the
case of wheat which has been attacked with rust or smut, may be attained in
the most rapid and reliable manner.
The invention will now be described.
The rotating beaters or the like are mounted within an inner casing, preferably
of emery composition held within an outer casing, or in some cases may be mounted
in only one casing. On the outer casing is arranged a separating chamber and at
one end of the machine a hopper or short pipe which admits into the machine the
wheat from above, and inflowing air through openings arranged in the sides of the
pipe, which are covered with perforated or meshed material. A second perforated
or mesh-covered opening for admitting air is arranged at the opposite end of the
machine.
The separating chamber contains in its interior, inclined boards and beut
surfaces forming larger and smaller chambers therein.
In the interior of the machine, that is to say, in its cylindrical or conical casing,
the wheat is seized by the rotating blades, beaters or brushes and forced to describe
a circular course, and is thus polished, scoured or rubbed, both against itself and
also against the inner walls of the casing according to the mode of construction of
this latter.
In the periphery of the casing an outlet passage is formed, and the circling
wheat passes out thereby tangentially into an extension.
From this extension all specifically lighter particles are carried away by the
currents of air forced or drawn through the machine, and are litted into the

page_text: separating chamber, whilst the heavier wheat constantly slides hack down the
inclined surface of the extension to within the reach of the rotating blades or
benters.
In the separating chamber, the heavier particles separated out sink to the bottom,
into a trough formed by inclined boards and are removed from the machine, by
means of a flap or door opening to the outside, whilst the lighter impurities are
drawn away by a fan or exhauster and conveyed into a dust collector.
In a vertical machine partitions are obliquely arranged above one another in the
extension, and by these partitions the wheat is forced to always slide back again
into the machine for the purpose of further treatment. The coarser impurities
drawn away between the partitions fall into the trough of the separator, and are
removed from the machine as in the previous case by means of an outwardly
opening flap or door. The lighter particles, on the other hand, are drawn
away through a pipe by means of a fan or exhauster arranged at any suitablo
point.
The extension in front of the opening in the en-ing may be formed on the
exterior of the casing, or be made separately and mounted on the easing.
Dated this 15th day of October 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6 Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the A; plicant.
Improvements in Grain Cleaning, Decorticating, and Scouring
Machines.
1. ANTON BESSER of 7 Franckgasse, Vienna in the Empire of Austria, Milling
Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention and in what manner the
same is to le performed, to be particularly described and ascertait ed in and by the
following statement :-
This invention has for its object improvements in grain cleaning, decorticating
and scouring apparatus in which the grain is subjected to a more perfect, rapid an'i
economic action.
The improvements consist in providing the inner casing of emery composition
with a slit or per'oration along its whole generating line, the said slit being arranged
in such a relation to the direction of the motion of the heaters that the grain is not
thrown out of the cylinder but remains continuously in circulation.
Contiguous to said slit and in communication with it, is a separator which has
on its opposite end an exhauster which draws all impuritics out of the cylinder
through the slit.
The accompanying drawings forming part of this specification show the
construction of my apparatu“.
In the drawings,
Fig. 1 is an end elevation and Fig. 2 a similar view of the opposite end of the
apparatus.
Fig. 3 a section on the line a-a' of Fig. 4, and
Fig. 4a section on the line b-- of Fig. 3.
The apparatus comprises a scouring cylinder 2 mounted upon a support or hase 1,
beaters 3, a separatur 4 and an exhauster 5 and its easing 6.
The cylinder 2 is arranged horizontally and is formed of an inner casing 7,
without channels, consisting of a scouring and polishing material preferably of
granulated emery, and of the outer wooden casing 8. In the upper part of the
scouring cylinder 2 is provided the longitudinal slit 9 which extends in an oblique

page_text: direction from the outer to the inner surface of said cylinder and through which
the impurities are drawn away.
On one side of the lateral walls of the scouring cylinder is arranged a hopper 10
which communicates with the interior of sail cylinder an 1 is open at the top for the
admission of the grain; it has one or two lateral openings 11 covered with mesh-
covered material for the admission of air. A further mesh-covered opening 12 for
admitting air is provided on the opposite lat ral wall of the cylinder and an
outlet passage for the wheat with a flap or door 13 is on the lower end of this
wall.
The rotating beaters 3 consist of two wheel rims 14 mounted on longitudinal
shaft 15 extending centrally through the cylinder 2. These wheel rims 14 carry
on their peripheries the beaters or fans proper 16, which are arranged in an oblique
direction to the shaft 15 so that the wheat which has been admitted into the
cylinder 2 is forced to slide towards the outlet passage. The motion of the beaters
is obtained by means of the pulley 17 fixed on the shaft 15.
The beaters rotate in the direction of the arrow, that is in a direction from above
the slit 9 so that the grain may not be thrown into the slit but maintained in
continuous circulation. This circumstance is of great importance as it is only in
this way that new masses of wheat can always be brought into contact with the
current of air and be purified most rapidly and thoroughly.
The separator 4 comprises a wooden chamber of which the lower part
communicates with the slit 9 and the upper part, by means of two opening; 18
in the back wall, with the casing 6 of the exhauster.
The front wall of the separator is provided with a sanall opening 19 which is
closed by a flap 20, opening to the outside, and through which the coarser
impurities are discharged or drawn away.
In the interior of the separator 4 there are arranged boards 21, 22, 23, converging
in the form of a hopper, on which drop the coarser impurities and from which they
slide to the outside. Between the back wall of the separator and the board 21
within the latter there are provided as mumber of inclined sheets 29 of wood or
metal in the form of a grate for the purpose of preventing the escape of good wheat,
which may be drawn up by the action of the fan into the outlet 19 of the separator.
Such wheat when striking against the ander side of the sheet is thrown back unto
the upper surface of the following sheet and then carried back into the cylinder.
In consequence of their lighter specific gravity the impurities are allowed to pass
freely through the grate.
The openings 18 are provided with flaps 24 fixed on an axle 25, provided with a
handle 26 by means of which the flaps 24 may be adjusted to regulate the passage
of air.
The exhauster 5 is arranged in the casing 6 which communicates with the
openings 18, and it is operated by pulley 27 which takes its motion from the
pulley 28 of the shaft 15. The casing 6 is open at the top and may be connected
with a dust-collector, not shown.
The apparatus operates in the following manner:
The grain which is admitted through the hopper 10 is forced to circle owing to
the action of the heaters, being carried past the slit 9 and conveyed to the discharge
opening,
The strong draught produced by the exhauster draws all impurities in the grain
through the slit 9 and carries them into the separator 4, thus thoroughly removing
from the grain in the scouring cylinder 2 the matter desirable to be extracted
from it.
The coarser particles of the impurities drawn into the separator 4 drop on the
boards 21, 22, 23, from which they are discharged from the separator through the
opening 19.
The finer particles, however, are carried up by the current of air induced
by the exhauster 5 and are discharged into a dust collector near the exhauster.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performel, declare that what 1
claim is :-
1. In a grain cleaning, decorticating and scouring apparatus, the combination
with a cylinder having an interior securing and polishing tuning provided with a
longitudinal slit in the direction of the generating line, and passing through the
cylinder, of beaters arranged within said casing and adapted to rotate in a direction
from above said slit to cause the grain to circulate within the easing without being
thrown into the slit, substantially as set forth.
2. The combination with a cylinder having an interior lining of emery, or the
like, and provided with a longitudinal slit extenling in an oblique direction from
the outer to the immer surface of the cylinder, of a separator arranged in proxunity
to said slit, an exhauster communicating with said separator, and beaters arranged
within said easing and adapted to rotate in a direction from above said slit,
substantially as ant for the purpose set forth.
3. The combination with the cylinder 2 having an interior lining of emery and
provided with a longitudinal slit extending obliquely therethrough, of rim wheels 14
provided with beaters arranged in an oblique direction to the shaft of said rim
wheels, a separator communicating with said slit and provided with a discharge
hopper and an exhauster commumeating with the separator at its upper endt
substantially as set forth.
Dated this 13th day of July 1896.
W. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
01 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Agents for the Applicant.