Separating it from Adhering Fibre.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 24th May, 1888
Complete Specification Left, 25th Feb., 1889
Complete Specification Accepted, 4th May, 1889
or Separating it from Adhering Fibre.
We, GEORGE HENRY CROKER of 18 Bellevue Road, Seacombe, in the County of
Chester, Carver, and LOUIS RUDD STEVENSON of A 15 Liverpool and London
Chambers, in the City of Liverpool, Iron Merchant, and JOHN BLACKWALL CLARK
of 13 Irwell Chambers, West of the same City, Merchant, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows :-
This invention has for its object an apparatus for depriving cottonseed of the lint
or fibre and external coating which at present are so injurious in the manufacture of
cottonseed cake.
On a horizontal or inclined axis we place a drum covered with carding cloth and
outside this we place a skeleton cylinder formed of steel bars in the following
manner -A steel spiral bar of square or rectangular shape passes round and round
the drum at intervals of about an inch and a half, and the whole length of the drum,
and at a short distance from it say a little less than the thickness of cleaned cottonseed.
Between the threads of this spiral bar two other spiral bars preferably of triangular
shape with the point outwards and the flat side inward are arranged with their angles
not quite touching either each other or the rectangular spiral bar and their faces facing
the drum nearly on a level with the back of the rectangular bar. These are firmly fixed
by longitudinal bars or otherwise so as to be kept in position.
A feed hopper is placed above the one extremity of the outer drum and an exit
spout at the other end, the feed hopper preferably supplied with a feeding device such
as a screw.
Those parts of the bars facing the internal drum and also the sides of the rectangular
bar are cut with rasped teeth very coarse near the hopper, finer and finer as they
approach the exit.
The mode of operation is as follows:-The cottonseed is placed in the hopper and
is fed on to the internal drum before the commencement of the two triangular bars,
but between the threads of the rectangular bar which commences earlier than the
triangular bars. The rectangular bar feeds the cottonseed forward and the drum

page_text: whirling round in rapid rotation keeps on striking the cottonseed against the rasped
edges of the bars, the spiral nature of those bars rapidly causing the cottonseed to
approach the edge.
The cotton drawn off the seed by the rasped teeth is blown out between the hars
into an outer casing and is thus separated from the seed. The seed travelling on
gets first cleaned of its fihre, then of its outer rough surface and in a polished condition
leaves the machine.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents for the Applicants.
or Separating it from Adhering Fibre.
We GEORGE HENRY CROKER, of 18 Bellevue Road, Seacombe, in the County of
Chester, Carver, LOUIS RUDD STEVENSON, of A 15, Liverpool and London Chambers,
Iron Merchant, and JOHN BLACKWALL CLARK of 13, Irwell Chambers West,
Merchant, both of Liverpool in the County of Lancaster do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the saine is to be performed; to be particularly
described and ascertained in and by the following statement :-
This invention has for its object an apparatus for depriving cotton seed of the lint
or fibre and external coating, which at present are so injurious in the manufacture of
cotton seed cake.
The invention is best described by aid of the accompanying drawings, in which,
Figure 1 is a side elevation of the apparatus partly in section.
Figure 2 a cross section on the line c d Figure 1.
Figure 3 an enlarged sectional view of the spiral bars having an abrašive'
surface.
In these, A is a supporting frame of any suitable construction forming a support
for the operative parts. B a druin, preferably cylindrical, mounted on and fixed to a
horizontal shaft Crotating in bearings C' supported by the frame A. In the drawings
the shaft is shown horizontal, but in some cases it may be inclined.
The drum B consists of circular frames or drums D, preferably of metal, mounted
on and secured to the shaft C so as to revolve therewith, and wood staves D' which
are laid close together and secured to the frames D in any desired manner, but

page_text: preferably by means of bolts or screws, or the drum B may be made entirely of iron
suitably prepared for the card clothing being nailed on it, in the manner well under-
stood in textile machinery. The outside surface of the staves D₁ are clothed with
cards d, similar to those used in carding cotton, or with brushes of wire or any other
suitable material, which project from the surface of the staves and are firmly secured
thereto.
Surrounding the drum B and concentric with it, we place a skeleton cylinder E
formed of steel bars in the following manner :-
A steel spiral bar e of square or rectangular shape passes round and round
the drum B and at a short distance from the carding, cloth or bruslies d on the
drum B, say a little less than the thickness of cleaned cotton seed.
The pitch
of the coils is preferably rather greater at that end of the machine in which the
cotton seed is fed and which has to deal with thio seed which is still covered with lint
or fibre; than it is at the other end where the seed is delivered freed therefrom. At
the feeding end we generally make the coils from 1 to 2 inches apart, and the delivery
end from I to 1 inches.
Between the threads of the spiral bar e, one, two, or more barsel e' (according to
the pitch of the spiral bar E aforesaid) are arranged. They are preferably of a
triangular shape with their points outwards and their flat sides inwards, and their
angles do not quite touch either each other or the rectangular spiral bar e.
The faces of the bars el facing, the drum B are not quite so close to the surface of
the carding cloth as the rectangular bar, see Figure 3.
The bases of the bars el facing the drum B, and also the sides of the rectangular
bar e are cut preferably with rasped or file like teeth very coarse near the hopper F
where the seed which is covered with fluffy matter has to be first operated on, but
finer and finer as they approach the other end of the machine from which the cleaned
seed is delivered. The skeleton cylinder E is made in sections, each section having
longitudinal frame bars G G, and intermediate longitudinal bars H (though the latter
are not always necessary) to which the respective sections of the bars e e are firmly
fixed. The ends of these bars G H are secured to curved bars I. It may be found
equally convenient to divide the skeleton cylinder into two three or other number of
parts instead of four.
Each
The sections of the skeleton cylinder or outer casing E are fastened together by
bolts and the cylinder is supported by jaws J bolted to the frame A and provided
with clamping or tightening screws j. The skeleton cylinder is adjusted concentrically
to the drum B by the slots; and the screws ; or in other convenient manner.
of the sections being removable, it is evident that any of the bars e e' when worn can
be separately taken out for repair with very little trouble, or wear can be taken up
by planing the faces of the longitudinal bars, so as to reduce the internal diameter
of the skeleton cylinder.
F is a feed hopper, preferably provided with a feeding screw k. L L' are pulleys,
L' a belt, and a worm and worm wheel by which the feeding screw & receives its
motion. M is an exit spout at the other extremity of the machine. N is a driving
pulley.
The mode of operation is as follows:-
The cotton seed is placed in the hopper F and is fed onto the drum B by the feeding
screw k before the commencement of the triangular bars e¹, but between the threads
of the rectangular bar E which commences earlier than the triangular bars el. The
rectangular bar e feeds the cotton seed forward and the drum B whirling round in
rapid rotation keeps on striking the cotton seed against the rasped edges of the bars,
the spiral nature of those bars rapidly causing the cotton seed to approach the other
extremity of the machine.
The cotton drawn off the seed by the rasped teeth is blown out between the bars
into an outer casing O and is thus separated from the seed. The seed travelling on
gets first cleaned of its fibre, then of its outer rough surface and in a polished
condition leaves the machine through the exit spout M.

page_text: Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we
claim is :-
1. A machine for cleaning cotton seed or the like, having an inner rotatable drum,
provided with a stiff brush surface such as card clothing and an outer concentric
skeleton abrading cylinder, consisting of a rectangular spiral steel bar e alternating
with one or more triangular spiral steel bars e arranged with their angles not quite
touching each other or the rectangular spiral bar aforesaid, the rectangular bar e
having a pitch decreasing as the exit end of the cylinder is approached and its inner
face located in close proximity to the brush surface, the triangular bars e' having their
bases arranged at a suitable distance from the said brush surface and provided with
rasped teeth gradually decreasing in coarseness towards the exit, substantially as
set forth.
2. The construction, combination and arrangement of the machine for cleaning
cotton seed or the like, substantially as described and illustrated by the drawings.
Dated this 23rd day of February 1889.
GEORGE HENRY CROKER.
L. R. STEVENSON.
JOHN BLACKWALL CLARK.
Wm. P. Thompson & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool,
Patent Agents for the Applicants.