IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING, CLEANING, AND DRESSING GRAIN, SEEDS, AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE DRYING OF OTHER MATTERS OR MATERIAL.
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Edward Keighley, of Scarborough, in the County of York,
Agent, for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS
FOR DRYING, CLEANING, AND DRESSING GRAIN, SEEDS, AND SIMILAR
SUBSTANCES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO APPLICABLE TO THE DRYING
OF OTHER MATTERS OR MATERIAL.".
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Edward Keighley at the
"IMPROVE-
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 29th April 1881.
EDWARD KEIGHLEY, of Scarborough, in the County of York, Agent.
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING, CLEANING, AND DRESSING
GRAIN, SEEDS, AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS
APPLICABLE TO THE DRYING OF OTHER MATTERS OR MATERIAL."
ARE ALSO
The said Invention relates to drying, cleaning, and dressing wheat, barley, oats,
damp grain, malt, rice, seeds for oil and other agricultural products, also in drying
galls, turmeric, myratolams, and other drysalteries preparatory to grinding or when
ground.
For this purpose, in a suitable framework and in bearings, I fit in a diagonal
position & shaft, solid or hollow and perforated, and on this shaft I secure a
cylinder, which I make by preference oval; the top part of the cylinder is left open
to put in the material to be operated upon; the inside of the cylinder is fitted
with a series of curved plates which may be made of wire, and the curved plates
are for lifting and turning over the grain, seeds, or other materials operated on, by
which means the substances are "lightened up," giving free action to a current of
air or vapour which is forced by means of a fan or blower (or otherwise injected by
latent force, such as steain) through the perforated hollow shaft, or admitted by a
tube bent so as to discharge the air or vapour just inside the open top of the
cylinder, the connections being so arranged by taps or dampers, that heated air or
a cold blast or an injection of vapour may be turned on at will.

page_text: The shaft and cylinder are actuated by a pulley, by wheel gear, or by friction
plates, and receive revolving diagonal (or angular) movements; the side of the
cylinder is fitted with slides, in which is fitted a door to discharge the grain, seeds,
or other substance when the operation is finished. There is also an arrangement of
slides in that side of the cylinder which, when revolving, reaches nearest the
ground, and to which are fitted sieves, when dressing, is the special object, these
being replaced with blank plates when drying only is required.
The heated air may be drawn from a conduit fixed in the smoke-box of a steam
engine or a boiler-flue, or from a heating apparatus, or any other suitable source.
When the cylinder is revolving the curved plates cause the substances to fall
over and over, and to be lifted and turned, and being exposed to the action of
the blast, all light dirt is caused to pass through the open top of the cylinder,
whilst the heavier mass remains or falls through the sieves.
By this apparatus drysalteries can be completely dried preparatory to grinding,
and the color of the goods retained.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said Edward Keighley in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
28th October 1881.
EDWARD KEIGHLEY, of Scarborough, in the County of York, Agent. "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR DRYING, CLEANING, AND DRESSING
GRAIN, SEEDS, AND SIMILAR SUBSTANCES, WHICH IMPROVEMENTS ARE ALSO
APPLICABLE TO THE DRYING OF OTHER MATTERS OR MATERIAL."
The said Invention relates to drying, cleaning, and dressing wheat, barley, oats,
and other grain, malt, rice, seeds for oil, and other agricultural products; also to
drying galls, turmeric, myrobalans, and other drysalteries preparatory to grinding
or after having been ground.
For this purpose, in bearings in suitable frames, I fit in a diagonal position a
shaft made hollow and partly perforated; on the shaft is secured a conical cylinder,
having the top part left open whereby to put in the material to be operated upon;
the inside of the cylinder is fitted with a series of plates for the purpose of lifting
and turning over the grain, seed, or other material operated on, by which means
the substances are lightened up, so as to give free action to a current of air which
is forced by means of a fan or blower (or steam or other vapour may be injected);
the blast of air may be either beated or cold; over the shaft, and in the bottom
part of the conical cylinder is fitted a steam drying cylinder, or a coil of steam
pipes may be employed; steam passes through a valve when opened into the
hollow shaft, and through the small holes in the shaft into the steam drying
cylinder, a valve being fitted to the end plate to let off steam when it exceeds the
required pressure; on the drying cylinder is fitted a ring having four or more
projecting arms, to which is secured the bottom part of the conical cylinder, and a
ring is secured on the shaft, such ring having arms, to which is secured the top
part of the conical cylinder; when a steam coil is employed the shaft is solid from
the part where steam enters to the part where the steam is discharged after having
passed through the coil, and the coil revolves with the shaft, or instead of a coil I
sometimes employ a cock and a perforated nozzle, to allow of discharging a spray
of vapour or water; the hot or cold blast of air passes through a tubular receiver,
as also does the grain, seed, or other material operated on, and which is fed to the
receiver from a hopper fitted above; the blast of air passes through the grain or
other material in the conical receiver, which grain is therein agitated and turned
over; the connections are so arranged that by means of taps or dampers, heated
air or a cold blast or an injection of vapour may be turned on at will.
The shaft and conical cylinder are actuated by a worm and worm wheel (by
preference) or by friction plates, or by a spur wheel and pinion. The conical
cylinder receives a revolving movement, and the sides of the cylinder are fitted
with slides, in which are fitted doors so arranged that the openings made in the
bottom part of the conical cylinder can be kept closed, and be opened to discharge
the grain, seed, or other material operated on when the operation is finished, and
when dressing is the special object; the doors can be pushed up and sieves brought
down to cover the openings, double sets of guides or slots are provided, one set for
the sieves and the other set for the doors. When drying only is required the doors
are kept closed over the openings and the sieves pushed up.
The heated air may be drawn from a conduit fixed in the smoke box of a steam
engine or a boiler flue, or from a heating apparatus or any other suitable source.
When the conical cylinder revolves the plates fitted in the cylinder cause the
substances to fall over and over, and to be lifted and turned, and being thereby
exposed to the action of the heated steam cylinder and of the hot air blast, all

page_text: light dust is caused to pass through the open top of the conical cylinder, and the
steam formed by the drying of the substances escapes, whilst the heavier mass
remains or falls through the sieves.
By this apparatus drysalteries and the like can be completely dried preparatory
to grinding, and the color of the goods be retained..
But in order to enable my improvements to be better understood I will proceed
to describe the same by reference to the accompanying Drawing, in which Figure 1
represents a sectional side elevation of my improved apparatus; Figure 2, sectional
front view through the line A, B; Figure 3, outside view of the conical cylinder
shewing the sieves and doors of the same; Figure 4 represents a sectional side
view of the conical cylinder fitted with a coil of steam pipes. Similar leters of
reference are used to represent similar parts.
A is the conical cylinder made in two parts B and C, and by preference of sheet
iron; angle irons D are rivetted on the parts B and C, fitted face to face, and are
secured by rivets or small bolts and nuts, thereby securing the two parts together
to form the conical cylinder (or the cylinder may be formed in one part); through
the centre of the cylinder is passed the hollow shaft E, which works in bearings F
and G; the bearing F is made with an expansion joint H, and in the top is fitted
a small pipe I, to which is secured a valve J, and to the valve is secured another
pipe K, to which are fixed the steam pipes from the steam boiler; the bearing G
is fitted with brasses L, and over the shaft are fitted collars M, secured on the shaft
by set screws N; on the. end of the hollow shaft is fitted a valve O for discharging
any condensed steam from the hollow shaft; the conical cylinder is secured on the
shaft by means of a ring P having arms Q formed with plates R, on which the top
part B of the conical cylinder is secured; the bottom part C is also secured on
plates R, formed on arms Q, which are forged or secured on a ring S, which is
passed and secured on a steam drying cylinder T; fitted and fixed on the hollow
shaft E; inside the conical cylinder are fitted plates U for the purpose of lifting and
turning the substances operated on so as to cause them to fall over and over. On the
shaft E is secured a worm wheel V, actuated by a worm W fitted on a shaft X,
which works in bearings Y cast on the side of a frame Z, and on this frame is
secured the bearing G; the shaft X is actuated by a pulley A¹ fitted on the shaft,
and the pulley is worked by a strap actuated by another pulley which receives
motion from the steam engine or other motive power; the steam drying cylinder T
is heated by the steam passing through the hollow shaft E, and through the
perforated part B₁ thereof; a small valve is fitted in the bottom plate C¹ of the
cylinder T.
Over the hollow shaft E is passed a tubular receiver D¹. which is secured in
position by the bearing plates E¹, cast or formed on a bracket F¹, bolted and
secured on the cross wooden beam G' of a wooden framework H¹; the tubular
receiver D is made with three, four, or more small tubes I', which are secured
to the end plate J¹, and on the top of the receiver D' is secured a pipe K¹, to
which are fitted other pipes leading to a fan or blower, and the pipes are so
arranged and fitted with taps that either blast of heated or cold air can be
passed through the receiver into the inside of the couical cylinder, or an injection
of vapour may be turned on for the purpose of damping brittle or over dried
grain to make the same soft for grinding.
Over the receiver D' is fitted and secured a hopper L', in which are placed the
substances to be operated on, and which substances pass through a pipe M¹, fitted
in the bottom of the hopper and into the receiver D', and pass through the small
tubes I', into the interior of the conical cylinder where the grain or other substance
is lifted and turned over by means of the plates U, which cause it to fall
over and over the heated steam drying cylinder T, and at the same time it is
further heated by the hot blast coming from the fan or blower (or it may be
cooled by a cold blast) and the blast of heated or cold air removes all dirt or
impurities through the opening N¹ of the conical cylinder. When the grain or other
substance has been sufficiently operated on one of the doors O' is slid into the

page_text: guides or slots P¹, and the opening in the bottom part C of the conical cylinder is
thereby left open so as to discharge the grain or other substance into a receiver
which is placed under the apparatus, but should dressing be the special object of
the operation one of the sieves Q¹ is brought over the said opening in the part C;
the guides or slots P¹ are made double, those next to the plates of the conical cylinder
are for the sieves, and the others for the doors.
When the steam coil R¹ is employed the shaft is made hollow in the top and
bottom parts which allows steam to pass in through the top pipe S¹ and through
the coil and to be discharged through the pipe T'; a valve is fitted on the end
of the shaft to discharge any condensed steam, and the coil revolves with the shaft
and conical cylinder.
Where the grain or other substance merely requires cleaning and only slightly
drying I employ a modified construction of the apparatus in which the shaft E is
made solid and the drying cylinder and the coil are dispensed with, the substances
being simply subjected to the action of the blast during the rotary motion of the
conical cylinder.
Having thus described my improvements, and the best means I am acquainted
with for carrying the same into effect, I would have it understood that I do not
confine myself to the precise, details shewn and described, as these may be varied
without departing from the peculiar character of the Invention, but what I
do claim is,
The combination of parts forming the improved machine or apparatus herein
described, and the employment of the said machine or apparatus for drying, cleaning,
and dressing wheat, barley, oats, and other grain, malt, rice, seeds for oil, and other
agricultural products, also for drying galls turmeric, myrobalans, and other dry-
salteries preparatory to grinding the same, or after the same have been ground;
the said machine operating substantially in the manner and for the purposes
hereinbefore described and illustrated in the accompanying Drawing or any mere
modification thereof.
In witness whereof, I, the said Edward Keighley, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Twenty eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and eighty one.
Witness,
G. F. REDFERN,
Patent Agent,
4, South St., Finsbury.
EDW³. KEIGHLEY. (L.S.)