other Analogous Vegetable Products.
Year: 1887

page_text: other Analogous Vegetable Products.
We, JAMES BLACK of 72 Irish Street, in the Town and County of Dumfries,
North Britain, Dryster and ROBERT HAMILTON of Castle Bank Mills, Dumfries,
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:-
This Invention which relates to a new or improved apparatus for drying malt, grain,
seeds or other analogous vegetable products, has for its object to provide an economical
and automatic apparatus not liable to get out of order.
The apparatus consists of a number of screw threaded cylinders of wire cloth or
gauze or otherwise perforated metal, whose axes are by preference arranged horizontally
equidistant from each other, and in the same vertical plane. These cylinders are
enclosed within a case or chamber heated below from a furnace or furnaces, the
ascending current of heated air being drawn upwards (carrying the moisture with it)
by means of a chimney, exhaust fan or their equivalents through the descending
vegetable products under treatment. The said case or chamber is formed of brick,
iron or other suitable material and may or may not be divided into horizontal com-
partments, having cup shaped bottoms to permit the screw threaded cylinder to work
effectively within the same. The said bottoms are cut short at opposite ends of
consecutive compartments to allow the grain or seeds to descend in a zigzag manner.
Each of these screw threaded cylinders (of which for brevity only one is hereinafter
described) is composed of a shaft carried on journal bearings at the ends of the case or
chamber, the said shaft having fitted upon it at regular distances a suitable number of
wheels or discs whose external diameters are equal and upon whose peripheries are
secured four or more metal or other bars, and around these is wound wire cloth, or
otherwise perforated sheets. A screw thread is wound evenly round the wire cloth and
secured to the same. This screw threaded cylinder is slowly rotated from an upright
shaft (outside the case or chamber) by bevel gearing or by a worm, and worm wheel,
or by any other equivalent mechanism.

page_text: The first or uppermost screw threaded cylinder' is fed by means of a hopper situated
on the top of the case or chamber and near one end of the said cylinder, the grain or
other vegetable product being carried along by the screw to the opposite end of the
compartment where it is shot over to the next lower compartment, and so on in a
zigzag manner until it is completely dried on reaching the bottom of the chamber
and is delivered into binns, bags or elevators as required, or in any other suitable
manner.
To allow the grain to be carried by consecutive cylinders in opposite directions
either the screws may be arranged right-handed and left-handed screws alternately,
all the cylinders in that case revolving in one and the same direction, or as an
alternative the screws may be made all of one hand either right or left, consecutive
cylinders then rotating in reverse directions, the necessary mechanism being arranged
to suit.
Instead of the case or chamber being divided into compartments as already
described, and the grain or other vegetable products carried along the stationary, cup
shaped bottoms of the same, by the revolution of the screw threaded cylinders, the
said bottoms may be dispensed with, and the principal purpose for which they are
adopted, effected by simply winding wire cloth round the outside of the screw threads
and attaching it to the same, the whole revolving together and forming an inner and
an outer wire cloth cylinder, the annular space between the two cylinders being equal
to the depth of the screw thread which is contained within it. The said annular space
forms the receptacle for the reception of the grain or other vegetable products under
treatment. Shoots or inclined boards are arranged in and fixed to the interior of the
chamber, to direct the grain or seeds into the several cylinders whose respective ends
are suitably formed to receive and discharge the same. When this arrangement is
adopted we prefer that the hot air should proceed from the centre of the machine
at the bottom and similarly exhaust itself in the centre at the top, in order that
there may be as nearly as possible a uniform temperature throughout the entire
chamber.
By adopting our drying apparatus, a great saving of labour is effected, no manual
labour being required from the time the grain enters the machine until it is discharged
dried, a saving in fuel is also effected, as the space to be heated is small, the moist
not coming in contact with the dried grain, gives a better flavour to the grain, much
time is saved as the grain is always in motion and dries quicker, besides the machine
is not costly and little space is required for its erection.
In order that our said Invention may be properly understood and readily carried
into effect, we will now proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
Figures 1 and 3 are longitudinal sections of a drying kiln or chamber constructed
according to and constituting our present Invention. Figure 1 shewing. the arrange-
ment with the chamber E, divided into compartments and Figure 3, representing the
alternative arrangement with the chamber E undivided, the driving gear, furnace and
portion of chimney being removed and the two uppermost cylinders having the outer
wire cloth covering J in section. Figure 2 is a transverse section of Figure 1, taken
on the line A B.
In carrying out the objects of this invention the hopper C is arranged to discharge
its contained malt, grain, seeds or other analogous vegetable products, into the
uppermost compartment D, of the chamber E, near one end of the same as shewn at
Figure 1, or through the shoot F, into the annular space G, formed between the inner
wire cloth cylinder O, and the outer wire cloth cylinder J, as represented at Figure 3
and carried along by the right handed screws H, to the opposite end of the compart
ment D, or annular space G, as the case may be, the contents being delivered through
the gap in the cup shaped bottom R, at that end of the compartment D, into the
next compartment K, or through the open end of annular space G, into the contiguous
annular space L, the grain or seed being directed into the same by means of the shoot M
The screws N, being left handed, the vegetable product is carried by them in ar
opposite direction to that of the screws H, and discharged by them at the opposite end
of the case or chamber E, into the next compartment P, or annular space Q, and

page_text: so on in alternately reverse directions, through the series of compartments or annular
space. In their zigzag passage downwards the said vegetable products are acted
upon by the ascending currents of heated air from the furnace Z, drawn upwards by
a chimney or funnel a, and exhaust fan b.
Each of these screw threaded cylinders (of which for brevity only one is hereinafter
described) is composed of a shaft S, carried on journal bearings T, at the ends of the
case or chamber E, the said shaft S, having fitted upon it at regular distances a
suitable number of wheels or discs U, whose external diameters are equal, and upon
whose peripheries are secured four or more metal or other bars V, and around these is
wound wire cloth O, or otherwise perforated sheets. A screw thread E,-which may
or may not carry small buckets or their equivalents for the purpose of distributing or
scattering the grain over the cylinder-is wound evenly round the wire cloth and
secured to the same. This screw threaded cylinder is slowly rotated from an upright
shaft W, by bevel gearing or by a worm X, and worm wheel Y, or by any other
equivalent mechanism.
The screw threaded cylinders in the alternative arrangement as shewn at Figure 3,
are constructed exactly in the same manner as those represented at Figures 1 and 2,
with the addition of the outer cylinder J, of wire cloth, which is attached to the
outside of the screw thread H. Under this arrangement the chamber E, is not divided
into compartments, the stationary cup shaped bottoms R, being dispensed with, as the
annular space G, formed between the inner cylinder O, and outer cylinder J, serves
as a receptacle for the grain or other analogous vegetable product under treatment,
which is carried along the annular space by means of the screw H, as before.
Shoots or inclined boards F and M, are arranged in and fixed to the interior
of the chamber to direct the grain or seeds into the several cylinders whose
respective ends are suitably 'formed to receive and discharge the same. These shoots
may be arranged to deliver the grain into the annular spaces either at a point near
the top or at the bottom of the cylinder as found most suitable.
A thermometer on tlie chamber, and a damper on the flue are or may be provided
for indicating and automatically regulating the temperature of the chamber, and
consequently the currents of heated air ascending therefrom.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our, said
Invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what
we claim is.—
First. The general arrangement and combination of parts constituting the apparatus
for drying malt, grain, seeds or other analogous vegetable products, substantially as
hereinbefore described with reference to the annexed drawings.
Second. In apparatus for drying malt, grain, seeds or other analogous vegetable
products the wire cloth or gauze or otherwise perforated metal plate cylinders Ŏ, with
a screw thread H, wound round the outside of the same, in combination with the cup
shaped stationary bottoms R, dividing the chamber E, into 3, 4 or more compartments,
or the alternative arrangement with the screw thread H, between an inner wire cloth
cylinder O, and an outer wire cloth cylinder J, all substantially as and for the purposes
set forth with reference to the annexed drawings.
1007
D. DRYSDALE AUSTIN,
101, St. Vincent Street, Glasgow,
Applicants' Agent.