Improvements in Means for Separating Foreign Substances from Beans, Wheat, and other Grain, Specially Applicable for
Year: 1885

page_text: Improvements in Means for Separating Foreign Substances from
Beans, Wheat, and other Grain, Specially Applicable for
I, CHARLES ALBERT BAXTER, of High Street Stourbridge in the County of
Worcester, corn merchant, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
The object of this invention is to separate mineral substances of greater specific
gravity, such as stones from beans, wheat and other grain, and especially from
Egyptain beans and Indian wheats, and also to separate foreign substances of lighter
specific gravity, such as straw, sticks etc. .from the beans, wheat or other grain,
and especially from Egyptian beans and Indian wheats.
Water is employed, according to this invention, as the separating agent, and
acts by carrying or floating off substances of lesser from those of greater specific
gravity.
For the purpose of this invention, a slanting trough is employed, having divisions
therein rising only a part of the depth thereof, forming in appearance something
like a salmon ladder. The beans (wheat or other grain) are fed into the upper end
of the trough and mingle with a stream of water also supplied to the upper end
of the trough. The water carries the beans down the trough, over the divisions
therein, and the stones and any other mineral substances, aforesaid, are caught and
retained by the divisions. To render the apparatus more efficient, the divisions are
slanted so as to form acute angles with the bottom of the trough towards the
stream of water. The beans and water flow out of the lower end of the trough
into a hopper, the lower part of which is carried in a bath of water. A tube is
carried up in a slanting direction from the lower part of the hopper to a convenient
position above the level of the water in the bath, and an elevator band, having
blades at intervals thereon, is caused to work in this tube so as to elevate the
beans to the outer end thereof and deliver them as desired.
An opening is formed
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page_text: on the upper side of this tube, in position below the level of the water in the bath,
and the water from the bopper flows through this opening into the bath, and any
straws or other lighter foreign substances float up through this opening into the
bath. An overflow is provided in the side of the bath through which the water
and straws, and any other light foreign substances, are carried away. The lower
end of the tube is perforated on the underside to ensure its draining thoroughly
when the water is drawn off from the bath.
The trough is turned over from time to time to empty therefrom the stones, and
other mineral substances, which may have collected therein.

page_text: I, CHARLES ALBERT BAXTER, of High Street, Stourbridge in the County of
Worcester, Corn 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; reference being had to the accom-
panying drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon (that is to say):-
The object of this invention is to separate mineral substances of greater specific
gravity, such as stones; from beans, wheat, and other grain, and especially from
Egyptian beans and Indian wheats; and also to separate foreign substances of
lighter specific gravity, such as straw, sticks, etc. from the beans, wheat, and other
grain, and especially from Egyptian beans and Indian wheats.
Water is employed, according to this invention, as the separating agent, and
acts by carrying or floating off substances of lesser from those of greater specific
gravity.
The apparatus employed for the purpose of this invention consists of:-
(1) A cistern in which substances of lighter specific gravity such as straw, sticks,
etc. are separated from the beans, wheat, or other grain; (2) a slanting trough
having divisions therein rising only a part of the depth thereof, and forming in
appearance something like a salmon ladder, in which mineral substances of greater
specific gravity, such as stones, are separated from beans, wheat, and other grain;
(3) a strainer through which the water is strained from the beans, wheat, or other
grain, after the same have been separated from the mineral substances.
The cistern is fixed at the upper end of the trough, and is supplied with a regular
stream of water, and also with a continuous supply of beans, wheat, or other grain,
from a hopper or other source of supply. An opening is formed in the lower part
of the cistern through which water and the beans, wheat, or other grain flow out
into the trough. An overflow opening for the water is provided in the side of the
cistern; and the outflow opening in the lower part of the cistern for the water and
beans, wheat, or other grain, is of such area that it will not, in addition to carrying
off the beans, wheat, or other grain, carry off also all the water supplied to the
cistern, the surplus water thus flowing away through the overflow opening. Any
straws or other light foreign substances passing with the beans, wheat, or other
grain, into the cistern float to the top of the water therein and are carried off with
the overflow; and the stones or other mineral substances pass away with the beans,
wheat, or other grain, through the opening in the lower part of the cistern and into
the trough. The water carries the beans, wheat, or other grain, down the trough
and over the divisions therein, and the stones and any other mineral substances are
caught and retained by the divisions. At the lower end of the trough is fixed a
strainer, and as the water and beans, wheat, or other grain, flow down the face of
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page_text: што
waver is drained from the beans, wheat, or other grain, and the
latter roll down the face of the strainer and are discharged into a hopper or other
receptacle.
This invention will be clearly understood on reference to the accompanying
drawings, of which figure 1 is a longitudinal section, to a scale of one inch to the
foot, through an apparatus employed according to this invention for the purpose of
separating foreign substances from beans, wheat, and other grain. Figure 2 is a
plan of figure 1. Figure 3 is a corresponding section to figure 1 to an enlarged
scale so as to clearly show the detail; and figure 4 is a transverse section through
the cistern taken on line xx of figure 1. The longitudinal views are broken in
length for convenience of illustration, and in figure 3 part of the cistern is shown
as if broken away.
The same letters of reference occurring upon two or more of the views indicate
corresponding parts.
The apparatus illustrated is such as I employ for cleaning Egyptian beans, but
substantially the same arrangement may be employed, as will be readily understood,
for cleaning any description of grain.
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A is the cistern for separating straw, sticks, etc. from the beans. B is a shoot
through which the beans are supplied to the cistern; C the water inlet pipe to the
cistern; D. an outlet pipe for water and beans from the cistern into the trough;
and E an overflow spout through which the particles of straw, stick, etc. are floated
off. The outlet pipe D is of such a size compared with the inlet pipe C as to ensure
that part of the water shall constantly flow off through the overflow spout E so as
to carry off the straw, sticks, etc. floating on the water, and as the beans pass out
with the water through the pipe D this purpose is answered by making both the
pipes C and D of the same internal diameter. The bottom of the cistern E is
formed semicircular in transverse section, as shewn at figure 4, and inclines from
'the back end in a downward direction towards the trough, as shewn at figure 1.
The supply pipe C enters the cistern below the surface of the water therein, and
preferably at the bottom, and the outlet pipe D passes out at the bottom of the
cistern so that the beans may freely flow out with the water. F is a trough in
which the stones and other mineral substances are separated from the beans.
etc. are a number of metal plates placed loosely in position and supported against
the flow of water by fillets b b etc. on each side of the trough. As the water and
beans flow down the trough the beans are floated over the plates a a etc., forming
divisions, and the stones and other mineral substances are stopped by the plates,
being of too great a specific gravity to be carried up over each of the divisions in
succession. The stones and other mineral substances may be removed from time
to time, whilst the process is suspended, by lifting the plates and sweeping the
trough clear. The trough F may be conveniently placed at an incline of about
18th of an inch to the foot run. G is a trough similar to the trough F, but con-
nected therewith at a considerably greater inclination, as shewn. c is a perforated
plate forming a strainer, and d is a passage between the underside of the strainer
and the bottom of the trough G. H is a down-pipe to carry away the water after
it has drained through the strainer c into the passage d. The strainer c rests upon
supports e e, as shewn. f is an upward and preferably unperforated extension of
the strainer forming a curved surface between the bottom of the trough F and the
perforated part of the strainer. The water and beans flow from the trough F onto
the strainer, and the water is drained through into the passage d and passes off
through the pipe H, and may, if desired, be pumped up through the pipe C into
the cistern A and so be used over again. The beans roll down the strainer and
fall through a shoot K carried in a wall L, or in other convenient manner, and are
thus delivered into a hopper or other convenient receptacle.
The strainer c may be conveniently perforated with holes about 1th of an inch
diameter.
The pipe D is provided with a sliding door k, or other suitable stopper, by which
it may be conveniently opened and closed.

page_text: In the apparatus illustrated the trough is about 6 inches high by 6 inches wide
inside, and about 33 feet long, with 24 divisions a each about 2 inches high. The
pipes C and D are each about 24 inches internal diameter. This apparatus will
clean or wash about 15 sacks of beans per hour.
The means employed for utilizing the gravitation principle adopted, according
to this invention, for separating the heavier substances from beans, wheat, and
other grain, may be modified without departing from the nature of this invention,
for instance, in lieu of the divisions within the trough pockets may be formed
projecting below the bottom of the trough so as to catch the heavier substances, or
any suitable analogous arrangement may be employed.
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 in respect of "Improvements in means for separating foreign substances
from beans, wheat, and other grain, specially applicable for separating such sub-
stances from Egyptian beans and Indian wheats," is :-
1. The combined apparatus as described and shewn, for the purposes set forth.
2. The cistern A having an inlet for the water, an outlet for the water and beans,
wheat, or other grain, such outlet being too small to carry off, in addition to the
beans, wheat, or other grain, all the water supplied through the inlet, and an over-
flow opening, in combination with means by which the beans, wheat, or other
grain, may be supplied to the cistern, substantially as described and shewn, for
the purpose set forth.
3. Separating the heavier substances, such as stones, from beans, wheat, and
other grain, by carrying such beans, wheat, and other grain, in a stream of water
over divisions, or pockets, substantially as described.
4. The trough having divisions rising part of the height therein (or having
pockets formed on the underside thereof), substantially as described and shewn,
for the purpose set forth.
5. The trough G having a strainer therein, substantially as described and shewn,
for the purpose set forth.
6. The combination of the trough F, having divisions a a, with the trough G,
having the strainer c therein, substantially as described, for the purpose set forth.
Dated this Third day of August 1886. ..
STEPHEN WATKINS,
Agent for the Applicant.