Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Oats and other Grain or the like.
Year: 1893

page_text: Date of Application, 22nd Dec., 1893
Complete Specification Left, 1st June, 1894-Accepted, 7th July, 1894
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Oats and other Grain
or the like.
I JOSEPH DUNCAN, of 4, Mount Collyer Terrace, Limestone Road Belfast,
Ireland, Miller and Grain Merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
My invention relates to improvements in apparatus for drying oats and other
grain, or the like, by the agency of hot-air, and consists in providing a circular
dryer composed of an inner and an outer cylinder with an annular space between
them of any suitable extent into which the material to be dried, passes. The inner
cylinder is preferably composed of wire of a suitable mesh and the outer one wholly
of circular louvre boards of cast iron or other suitable material, or may be partly
composed of wire or other similar material. The inner cylinder 1 form cone-shaped
at the top so as to allow of the oats or the like freely passing into the annular
space aforesaid, and is closed in an air-tight manner at the bottom, thereby con-
stituting a complete chamber having wire or other sides, a galvanized-iron or other
top and with a man-hole in the bottom for cleaning and similar purposes.
Into the side of the said chamber, at a point near the bottom thereof, I insert
the nozzle or nozzles of suitable fans whose duty it is to draw the heated air direct
from the heating-furnace, and at a suitable speed I force such heated air through
the grain or the like on its way down to the bottom.
Immediately above the nozzle or nozzles of the fans I provide means for preventing
the grain or the like from coming in contact with and resting upon same, and so
obviate the risk of such grain or the like getting burnt.
A special feature of my invention is the system of taking off the grain or the
like, so that all sides of the apparatus will draw off the said grain or the like
uniformly, and in order to accomplish this purpose, I fix a plate of any suitable
width, beneath the outlet for the grain or the like, which plate passes around the
entire circle or cylinder. In the centre of the cylinder I provide a spindle to
which I attach an arm so arranged that when the spindle is driven at a suitable
speed, such arm will brush off the grain or the like either to the inside or outside
whichever is found desirable. The said spindle and plate are adjusted so as to dry
the grain or the like to any degree of firmness. The grain or the like when drawn
off falls into a cone-shaped bottom or receptacle and is then taken away by any
suitable conveyer.
Dated this 22nd day of December 1893.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Drying Oats and other Grain
or the like.
I JOSEPH DUNCAN, of 4, Mount Collyer Terrace, Limestone Road, Belfast,
Ireland, Miller and Grain Merchant, 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 :-
My invention relates to improvements for drying grain and the like whereby

page_text: grain may be more efficiently dried than by apparatus such as heretofore constructed
and is not exposed to be burnt or damaged as frequently occurs.
In carrying my invention into practice I provide an outer receptacle or casing
preferably of cylindrical form consisting of louvre boards of cast-iron or other
suitable material or of plates of iron or other metal which may be either solid or
perforated or some of the plates may be solid and the interval between any two
such plates may be filled with wire gauze or other similar material. I likewise
provide an inner casing of cylindrical shape closed at the top (which has preferably
a tapered form) with galvanized iron and at the bottom by an iron plate; its wall
consisting of wire gauze. The inner receptacle is connected to the outer receptacle
by a series of pins and an opening is formed on one side in the two receptacles for
the admission of a nozzle of a fan or other ventilator conveying the hot air into
the inner receptacle, a space being enclosed around such nozzle between the two
casings to prevent the grain coming into contact therewith. The bottom plate of
the inner receptacle is furnished with a man-hole and a circular bar or ledge is
placed below the annular space between the two receptacles and is fixed in position
by straps screwed to angle-irons or projections fixed to the outer casing so that the
height of this plate may be adjusted. Below the bottom-plate is arranged, between
the lower sides of the inner receptacle, a cross-bar in the centre of which is a
bearing for the upper end of a vertical axis or shaft carrying a pulley or a toothed-
wheel and the lower end of which rests on a step bearing and can be raised by a
set-screw working through the said bearing. A conical apron surrounds the lower
end of the apparatus. The vertical axis carries an arm at the top which, as the
former rotates, passes between the circular bar or ledge aforesaid and the space
between the two receptacles and removes the grain into the conical apron whence
it is conveyed by a screw into any suitable cart or receptacle.
The accompanying drawing shows a sectional elevation of my improved drying
apparatus for grain and other similar substances. a is the inner receptacle furnished
with a conical or tapered top a¹ and closed at the bottom by a plate a² provided
with a man-hole. b is the outer receptacle connected to the former by bolts b². A
passage p is formed through the two receptacles to receive the nozzle n which
enters the inner receptacle a and through which heated air is driven from any
heating apparatus into the receptacle a.
c is a ring or circular ledge secured by the straps c' to the angle-irons c³ bolted
to the outer receptacle b, a screw passing through tapped holes formed in the top
of the strap and of the angle iron for the purpose of adjusting the circular ledge
to the height required. A cross-bar d is fixed by bolts to the bottom plate a³ and
has a bearing at the centre for the upper end of the vertical axis or shaft s carrying
a pulley P and the lower end of which rests in the step bearing e. A set-screw f
passing through this bearing can raise or lower the axis s which carries an arm g
at the top. is a hopper leading to the shoot i wherein moves a screw conveyer.
The grain is let fall from any suitable overhead hopper or feed-hole over the
top a' into the receptacle 6 whence it runs into the annular chamber or space m
wherein it is heated in contact with the hot air admitted in the receptacle a and
passing through its walls into the chamber m. The grain gradually descends and
falls on the circular ledge c being removed from the foot of the chamber m by the
arm g, motion having been transmitted to the pulley P from any suitable source of
power. Or I may replace the pulley P by a toothed-wheel and impart motion thereto
by means of any suitable gearing driven by hand or power. The grain is thus
discharged into the hopper h whence it is conveyed by the screw o into a cart or
truck.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. In drying apparatus for grain and other similar substances, the combination

page_text: walls of wire gauze with mechanism for removing the grain from the bottom of the
annular chamber formed between the two receptacles and with a nozzle supplying
hot air and out of contact with the grain, substantially as herein described and
Bhown.
2. The improved drying apparatus for grain and other like substances arranged,
constructed, and operating substantially as herein described and shown.
Dated this 1st day of June 1804
HUGHES, SON & Co.,
38, Chancery Lane, London, Agents for the Applicant.