Improvements in Separating or Sifting Machines.
Year: 1896

page_text: Date of Application, 5th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 2nd Jan., 1897
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Separating or Sifting Machines.
I, RICHARD JOHN OLIVEY, of No. 492 Eagle Street, Buffalo, in the County of
Erie and State of New York, United States of America, Miller 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 :-
This invention relates more particularly to that class of sifting machines which
are used in flour mills for sifting the broken or crushed grain coming from the roller.
mills, which operation is usually designated as "scalping."
The object of my invention is to produce a sifting machine in which the stock or
material is carried from the head to the tail of the sieve in the shortest possible
time and without any jumping action, but by simply rolling the material in the
plane of the sieve, thereby effecting the separation with a minimum amount of
abrasion of the material, while maintaining a uniform distribution of the material
over the sieve surface and keeping the meshes of the latter free from lodged
material.
In the accompanying drawings
Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved separating machine.
Figure 2 is a vertical transverse section thereof, on the line 2-2, of Figure 1.
Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section thereof, and
Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross section on the line 4, 4, of Figure 3.
. Like letters of reference refer to like parts in the several figures.
A represents the main frame of the separator and B the sifting chamber arranged
in the upper portion of the frame and provided in its lower side with discharge
hoppers C.
D represents the feed trough arranged on the sifting chamber and provided with
a feed conveyor d and a feed spout which passes downwardly into the front end
of the sifting chamber.
E represents a transversely movable separating sieve which inclines from its head
in the front of the sifting chamber toward its tail in the rear end of the sifting
chamber. This sieve is provided, preferably, with an upper coarse screen e upon the
head of which the material is delivered by the feed spout d' and a lower fine screen e¹
which is arranged below the upper sieve and which receives the material which
passes through the upper sieve. The tail end of the upper sieve projects through an
inlet opening f' in the front side of a vertical separating air trunk or pipe F whereby
the coarse material which does not pass through the upper screen is delivered into
this air trunk. The coarse part of the material which does not pass through the
lower sieve is tailed off into a delivery spout G while the fine particles which pass
through the lower screen drop into the hoppers C..
H represents a transversely reciprocating shaking frame whereby the sieve is
actuated and which consists essentially of two side boards h arranged lengthwise on
opposite sides of the sieve, upright bars h' secured to the outer sides of the side
boards near the front and rear ends thereof, and upper and lower cross pieces h³ ³
connecting the upper and lower portions respectively of the upright bars. The sieve
frame is hung loosely and capable of sliding transversely on horizontal supporting
or guide rods I which are secured with their ends to the side pieces of the shaking
frame and pass transversely through openings i formed in the longitudinal members
of the sieve frame. During the transverse reciprocating movement of the shaking

page_text: frame the latter also reciprocates the sieve frame by engaging with its inner sides
against the outer sides of the sieve frame. The sieve frame is somewhat narrower
than the space between the side boards of the shaking frame thereby producing a
small amount of slack or dead movement during the first portion of each stroke of
the shaking frame independent of the sieve frame which causes the shaking frame
upon striking the sieve frame to give the latter a sudden jar or blow at the end of
the dead movement after which the shaking frame and sieve travel together to the
end of the stroke. This sudden jarring of the sieve in addition to the reciprocating
movement thereof serves to keep the meshes of the sieve thoroughly clean, thereby
increasing the capacity of the machine.
The shaking frame is movably supported and reciprocated transversely of the
machine, preferably, by the following mechanism :-
J represents two transverse supporting or guide bars secured to the underside of
the lower cross bars of the shaking frame and passing with their outer portions
through openings j in the side valls of the sifting chamber. The projecting ends
of the supporting bars J rest upon sheaves or rollers k which latter are arranged
outside of the sifting chamber and journalled in brackets k¹ secured to the main
frame. The supporting bar is preferably made round and the supporting rollers
are provided with circumferential grooves in which the supporting bars J rest and
whereby the latter are held against displacement on the rollers.
The rectilinear transverse shaking motion of the inclined sieve produces a rapid
rolling movement of the material from the head to the tail which movement is
greatly enhanced by the rectilinear transverse impacts which the loose sieve frame
receives from the main shaking frame. These transverse rectilinear impulses
which the material receives also maintain a uniform distribution of the material
over the sieve surface, prevent the accumulation of the material in ridges along
the sides of the sieve and keep the meshes of the sieve free from clogging matter.
The absence of all tossing or jumping movement of the material on the sieve
surface reduces the abrasion of the material to a minimum.
L represents a longitudinal driving shaft journalled in bearings on the main
frame and provided with two eccentric disks l' for reciprocating the shaking frame
and sieve. Pare eccentric or connecting rods which pass transversely through
openings in the side of the sifting chamber and which are provided at their outer
ends with eccentric straps which surround the eccentric disks. M is a longitudinal
rock bar which is jourualled in bearings m on the undersides of the lower cross
bars of the shaking frame and provided at its ends with transverse openings m
through which the inner screw threaded ends of the eccentric rods pass loosely.
m³ represents screw nuts arranged on the inner end of each eccentric rod on
opposite sides of the rock bar. Upon turning these screw nuts ou the eccentric
rods the position of the shaking frame can be adjusted.
The rock bar M serves the double purpose of a pivotal connection between the
connecting rods and the shaking frame and of a brace for rigidly connecting the
front and rear portions of the shaking frame.
N.represents the case of a fan arranged above the rear portion of the sifting
chamber and having its eyes connected with the upper end of the separating air
trunk F by an expansion chamber n. The outlet of the fau is connected by a
return trunk or pipe O with the separating trunk F below the sieve inlet opening f
Upon turning the blades of the fan in the proper direction a current of air is
produced which passes upwardly through the separating trunk F, thence through
the expansion chamber, thence through the eyes of the fan case and out through
the outlet thereof, thence through the return pipe to the place of beginning in the
separating trunk, thereby creating a circulation of the same air, no fresh air being
taken in and no used air being discharged from the machine. The coarse material
which is delivered from the tail of the upper screen into the separating trunk is
spread uniformly by the reciprocating movement of the sieve whereby all the
material in falling through the separating trunk is subjected to the separating
action of the upwardly moving current of air and the light particles are separated

page_text: from the heavier. The heavy particles escape through the lower end of the
separating trunk while the light particles are carried upwardly by the fan into the
expansion chamber where the light particles are permitted to precipitate into a
conveyor trough P in the bottom of the expansion chamber. A conveyor p is
arranged in the conveyor trough for discharging the material from the latter
through a discharge spout pl at one end of the trough.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
In a sifting machine, the combination with an inclined sieve, of a shaking frame
having transverse. rectilinear ways on which said sieve is loosely mounted and on
which it is capable of a limited transverse rectilinear movement within said
shaking frame, mechanism whereby a rectilinear transverse reciprocating movement
is imparted to said shaking frame, and means for delivering the material upon the
upper portion of the inclined screen, whereby the material, in flowing downwardly
over the inclined screen, is subjected to the long transverse rectilinear movement of
the main frame and at the same time to the short transverse rectilinear movement
of the screen frame, both movements taking place horizontally in a line transverse
to the inclination of the sieve, substantially as set forth.
Dated this 5th day of November 1896.
HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45 Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents for the Applicant.