IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SCOURING OR CLEANING AND POLISHING WHEAT
Year: 1880

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Robert Lake, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, &
Co., Patent Agents, Southampton Buildings, London, for an Invention' of
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SCOURING OR CLEANING AND POLISHING
WHEAT." A communication from abroad by David Marks Richardson, of
Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Robert Lake at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 28th June 1880.
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SCOURING
OR CLEANING AND POLISHING WHEAT." [A communication from abroad by David
Marks Richardson, of Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.]
This Invention relates to improvements in machines employed in flouring mills
for the purpose of thoroughly scouring or cleaning and polishing wheat preparatory
for grinding into flour.
In constructing a machino according to tho said Invention I provide the same
with a frame enclosed by a casing open at bottom. A driving shaft is horizontally
journalled in proper bearings at each end of the said frame; a series of cruciform
spiders is mounted on said shaft. These spiders are all alike except the one
nearest the feed end, which is provided with segments and spurs on one face, and
in this respect the one at the opposite end is like it. I provide a casing of
perforated sheet metal through which the dust and dirt escapes. The said shaft
is provided with a pulley, so that it may be driven at a high speed from any
convenient shaft in the mill. Each arm of one spider terminates in a T shaped
blade, on each face of which there is a ratchet or serrated faced segment extending
nearly or quite to the advancing edge of the head or blade of each arm of the
spider, and bent or curved, and near the periphery there are two V shaped and
ratchet faced spurs, the outer faces of which revolve in close proximity to the
perforated casing. The said spiders are arranged upon the shaft in alternating
order, that is to say, the arms of the first are set opposite the spaces between the
arms of the second, those of the second opposite the spaces between the arms of the
third, and so on. The wheat enters the case through a spout at one end; in

page_text: the rapid rotation of the spiders the berries are deflocted from the faces of the
spurs against the segments, and their movement is reversed by deflection to the
next spur in succession, so that each end of the berry is presented alternately to
tho spurs and segments, whereby the adherent furze or chit is effectually removed
by the friction of the serrated surfaces of the said spurs and segments; the
movement of the berry is very rapid from one series of segments to the next in
succession, but their arrangement is such as to avoid all abrupt impingements,
which would tend to break and damage the berry. Thus, while the furzo and
chit are removed, the cuticle is thoroughly scoured and polished by the attrition
of the berries upon the moving parts and on each other without in the least
injuring the bran. The dust and finer impurities as fast as they are separated
from the grain pass through the slots in the casing, while the grain passes on
towards the end of the machine to be discharged through the outlet spout, which
spout has a down turned end, from which is suspended a cone to spread out tho
wheat as it falls thereon. The discharge of the wheat at the elevated point is
effected by the last spider, which has three diagonal blades set "en echelon
the face of the T-head at the end of each of its arms; these blades take up the
grain and carry it around the casing until it finds an outlet at the said discharge
spout. On the top of the casing which encloses the main frame there is located a
fan, whose shaft is driven by a belt from a pulley on the main shaft. A portion of
the air supply for this fan is taken by an air trunk from the interior of the outer
casing to suck up the dust coming through the perforated or slotted casing, which
dust is drawn into the fan and discharged through a blast pipe. An air box is
vertically placed at the discharge end of the machine, and into this box the
discharge spout is led.
"
on
The said air box is extended over the top of the machine and partially down the
other side, terminating in a contracted delivery. In the upper part of the said box
there is a horizontal diaphragm which extends slightly into the delivery, and from
the space under it the fan draws its principle supply of air which is regulated by a
valve, which is adjusted to allow a current of air of sufficient strength and volumo
to carry over its top edge the cockle, dust, and other light impurities, while the
shrunken and light berries will fall into the inclined end of the air box and bo
discharged.
By the extension of the segment, as herein described, an enlarged throat is
formed upon the advancing edge of the blade, which is materially increased in
area by bevelling the front face of such advancing edge, so that a larger amount of
the berries is passed into the throat, and more than can readily be passed, between
the segments and spurs at their nearest points of approach. By the arrangement
of the elongated segments and the V shaped serrated spurs I form a succession of
funnels, and the wheat berries are compressed in the throat of each funnel and
compelled to arrange themselves longitudinally to each other, and this frictional
contact under pressure clears the sides of the berries of all that has been left by
the berries being thrown forward and back by the segments and spurs. This side
pressure also tends to press out and throw off a large proportion of the germs or
chits from the wheat.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said William Robert Lake in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 24th
December 1880.
•
WILLIAM ROBERT LAKE, of the Firm of Haseltine, Lake, & Co., Patent Agents,
Southampton Buildings, London. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR SCOURING
OR CLEANING AND POLISHING WHEAT." A communication from abroad by David
Marks Richardson, of Detroit, Michigan, United States of America.
This Invention relates to improvements in machines employed in flour mills for
the purpose of thoroughly scouring or cleaning and polishing wheat preparatory
to grinding it into flour.
My Invention is illustrated in the accompanying Drawing, in which-
Figure 1 is a perspective view of one of the spiders hereinafter described, and
Figure 2 is a cross section on the line x, x, Figure 1, drawn to an enlarged
scale.
Figure 3 is a vertical transverse section showing some of the parts of the
apparatus.
Figure 4 is a central vertical section of the said apparatus on the line ×³, x²,
Figure 3.
Figure 5 is a perspective view of the said apparatus.
Like letters indicate the same parts throughout the Drawing.
A is a frame enclosed by a casing open at bottom; B is the driving shaft,
horizontally journalled in proper bearings at each end of the said frame; C, C, aro
a series of cruciform spiders mounted on the said shaft. These spiders are all
alike except those nearest the feed and delivery ends, which are provided with
segments and spurs on one face only; D is a casing of perforated sheet-metal
through which the dust and dirt escape. The shaft is provided with a pulley so
that it may be driven at a high speed from any convenient shaft in the mill. Each
arm of the spiders C terminates in a T-shaped blade, on ench face of which there
is a ratchet or serrated segment a extending nearly or quite to the advancing edge
of the head or blade of each arm of the spider, which blade is bevelled in curved
lines, as shown at b, and near the periphery there are two V-shaped ratchet faced
spurs c, c, the outer faces of which revolve in close proximity to the casing D. The
said spiders are arranged upon the shaft in alternating order, that is to say, the arms
of the first are set opposite the spaces between the arms of the second, those of tho
second opposite the spaces between the arms of the third, and so on. The wheat
enters the case through the spout E at one end; in the rapid rotation of the spiders
the berries are deflected from the faces of the spurs against the segments, and
their movement is reversed by deflection to the next spur in succession, so that
each end of the berry is presented alternately to the spurs and segments, whereby
the adherent furze or chit is effectually removed by the friction of the serrated
surfaces of the said spurs and segments. The movement of the berry is very rapid
from one series of segments to the next in succession, but the arrangement of the
latter is such as to avoid all abrupt impingements, which would tend to break and
damage the berry. Thus, while the furze and chit are removed, the corticle of the
berry is thoroughly scoured and polished by the attrition of the berries upon the
moving parts and upon each other without in the least injuring the bran. The
dust and finer impurities as fast as they are separated from the grain pass through
the slots in the casing, while the grain passes on towards the end of the machine
to be discharged through the outlet spout 6' in the side of the casing, which spout
has a down turned end, from which is suspended a cone c' which spreads out the
wheat as it falls thereon. The discharge of the wheat at the side of the casing is

page_text: effected by the last spider C, which has three diagonal blades set " en échelon" on
the face of the T-head at the end of each of its arms; these blades take up tho
grain and carry it around the casing until it finds an outlet at the spout b². On
the top of the casing which encloses the main frame there is located a fan F, whose
shaft Ġ is driven by a belt from a pulley on the main shaft B. A portion of the
air supply for this fan is taken by an air-trunk H from the interior of the outer
casing to suck up the dust coming through the slotted casing D, which dust is
drawn into the fan and discharged through the blast pipo Fi; I is an air box
vertically placed at the discharge end of the machine, and into this box tho
discharge spout 61 is led, as shown in Figure 3.
The air box I is extended over the top of the machine and partially down tho
other side, terminating in a contracted delivery d; in the upper part of the said
air box there is a horizontal diaphragm I' which extends slightly into the delivery d
and from the space under it the fan draws its principal supply of air, which is
regulated to a certain extent by a valve e in the passage to the fan under the
diaphragm, which valve also serves another purpose. The fan being in operation a
strong current of air flows up the air box, passing through the falling grain, and
taking up with it all dust, cockle, and light or shrunken berries; while the clean
plump berries fall down through the end of the air box, the rest passes up over the
diaphragm I', at the end of which the course of the air current is suddenly
reversed; here the light and shrunken berries continue their course with it until
arrested by the valve e, which is so adjusted as to allow a current of air of sufficient
strength and volume to carry over its top edge the cockle, dust, and other light
impurities, while the shrunken and light berries will fall into the inclined end of
the air box and be discharged at d, so that they can be saved and utilized in the
manufacture of low grado flour or for other purposes.
In practice I find that by the extension of the segment, as herein described, an
enlarged throat is formed upon the advancing edge of the blade, which is materially
increased in area by bevelling the front face of such advancing edge as described,
so that a larger quantity of the berries is passed into the throat, and more than can
readily be passed between the segments and spurs at their nearest points of approach,
Bo that in addition to the friction against said segments and spurs the process is
assisted by the attrition of the berries against each other. This is materially aided
by the bevelling off of the blade, as hereinbefore described, which, in the rapid
rotation of the spiders, throws a portion of the grain being operated upon off at a
tangent towards the blades of the next of the series of spiders employed in the
machine, and this bevel being made in curved lines avoids all abrupt impingements,
which would have a tendency to break and injure the berry. By the arrangement
of the elongated segments a and the V shaped serrated spurs c, a succession of
funnels is formed, and the wheat berries are compressed in the throat of each funnel
and compelled to arrange themselves longitudinally to each other, and this
frictional contact under pressure clears the sides of the berries of all impurity that
may be left thereon by the action of the segments and spurs. This side pressure
also tends to press out and throw off a large proportion of the germs or chits from
the wheat.
Having thus fully described the said Invention as communicated to me by my
foreign correspondent, and the manner of performing the same, I wish it understood
that I claim,
First. The ratchet faced segments a extending quite, or nearly, to the advancing
edge of the blades of the spider in combination with the V-shaped and ratchet or
serrated spurs c, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Second. The spider provided with blades, the advancing or front edges 6 of
which are bevelled in curved lines upon their face side, substantially as and for the
purposes specified.
Third. The spidor provided with blades which are furnished with segments
extending quite, or nearly, to the bevelled edge of the face side of the blade, and
with the V-shaped spurs, substantially as and for the purposes described.

page_text: Fourth. The spider provided with blades which are furnished with devices,
substantially as described, whereby a series of enlarged chambers and smaller
throats are made, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.
Fifth. A machine consisting of the parts shewn in the accompanying Drawing,
or substantially similar parts, constructed, combined, and operating, as and for the
purposes specified.
In witness whereof, I, the said William Robert Lake, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Twenty third day of December, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and eighty.
177 PAR