Improvements connected with the Separation of Granular Matters or Seed from Lint or Fibre.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 19th Feb., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 19th Nov., 1895-Accepted, 11th Jan., 1896
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements connected with the Separation of Granular Matters
or Seed from Lint or Fibre.
I, WILLIAM HENDERSON, of 9 Stewart Road, Higher Tranmere, in the County
of Chester, Millwright, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
This invention has reference to the separation from the fibre or lint (principally.
the lint or fibre resulting from the process of delinting or cleaning of cotton seed,
in what are known as cotton seed delinters or cleaners), of granulated or broken
seed, and seed; and it has reference more particularly, to cases where there is
delivered from or produced in a machine, fibre in a short state with more or less
broken seed, or, also, some whole seed.
According to this invention, the removed lint or cotton as it is discharged from.
the cotton seed cleaning or delinting machine with the broken seed, and whole
seed, as the case may be, is delivered onto a moving conveyor, having an irregular
surface or surfaces, upon which the materials fall, and so arranged that the
granular matters or small seeds pass into the recesses of this irregular surface,
while the lint or fibre is held up by the parts which stand above said recesses. The
conveyor discharges the matters which it thus receives and holds, and at the point
of discharge the cotton or fibre is carried away by a current of air artificially
produced, as by a fan; while the granular matter and seed, free of fibre, pass away
or fall to a different place, where they are collected or taken away. This product
of the cotton seed cleaning machine should be distributed thinly onto the conveyor,
as if thickly distributed, it is found difficulties arise in the separation.
By this invention, difficulties of separating the removed fibre and granulated
seed, and particularly short fibre (as such fibre will pass through apertures with
the seed, and once deposited, becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible, to
separate) are obviated.
One form of conveyor constructed and adapted to act as and effect the ends
specified, is an endless conveyor arranged at an incline, or horizontally, and
passing over pullies, and the surface of which consists of or has upon it transverse
bars or ribs with recesses or spaces between them, the ribs being set closely
together, and of semi-circular, tri-angular, or equivalent form, in section. The
discharged fibre and granular material from the machine is discharged onto this
conveyor, the granular material falling into the spaces between the bars or grids,
and the cotton or fibre resting mostly on the bars or above the seed. These are
conveyed to the discharge end of the conveyor where a current of air created,
say by a fan, passes upwards and carries with it the cotton as it passes over the
end of the conveyor, the granular material free from fibre or lint falling down
into a suitable shoot or receptacle.
A type of machine which can be used with advantage in connection with this
mode of separating granular material and fibre or lint, is, that where the removed
fibre and some of the seed which has become broken or granulated or small seed,
is discharged out of the side of the machine, through the apertures in the side or
sides of the machine. In some of such cases, means such as saws, or saws and
brushes, are used to remove the cotton lint or fibre from the inside of the machine
as it is removed from the seed; in such a case, such saws or removing devices will

page_text: be conveniently disposed just above one end of the conveyor, and the casing or
chamber containing the parts connected up with that of the cotton seed cleaning
machine, or made one therewith.
Dated this 18th day of Febrvory 1895
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON, Fels. Chart. Inst. P.A.,
15 Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.
Improvements connected with the Separation of Granular Matters
or Seed from Lint or Fibre.
I, WILLIAM HENDERSON, of 9 Stewart Road, Higher Tranmere, in the County
of Chester, Millwright, 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 has reference to the separation from the fibre or lint (principally
the lint or fibre resulting from the process of delinting or cleaning of cotton seed,
in what are known as cotton seed delinters or cleaners), of granulated or broken
seed, and seed; and it has reference more particularly, to cases where there is
delivered from or produced in a machine, fibre in a short state with more or less
broken seed, or, also, some whole seed.
According to this invention, the removed lint or cotton as it is discharged from
the cotton seed cleaning or delinting machine with the broken seed, and whole seed,
as the case may be, is delivered onto a moving conveyor, having an irregular surface
or surfaces, upon which the materials fall, and so arranged that the granular
matters or small seeds pass into the recesses of this irregular surface, while the lint
or fibre is held up by the parts which stand above said recesses.
The conveyor
discharges the matters which it thus receives and holls, and at the point of.
discharge the cotton or fibre is carried away by a current of air artificially
produced, as by a fan; while the granular matter and seed, free of fibre, pass away
or fall to a different place, where they are collected or taken away. This product
of the cotton seed cleaning machine should be distributed thinly outo the conveyor,
as if thickly distributed, it is found difficulties arise in the separation.
By this invention, difficulties of separating the removed fibre and granulated
seed, and particularly short fibre (as such fibre will pass through apertures with
the seed, and once deposited, becomes extremely difficult, if not impossible, of
separation) are obviated.
One form of conveyor constructed and adapted to act as and effect the ends
specified, is an endless conveyor arranged at an incline, or horizontally, and passing
over pullies, and the surface of which consists of or has upon it transverse bars or
ribs with recesses or spaces between them, the ribs being set closely together, and
of semi-circular, triangular, or equivalent form, in section. The discharged fibre
and granular material from the machine is discharged onto this conveyor, the
granular material falling into the spaces between the bars or grids, and the cotton
or fibre resting mostly on the bars or above the sced. These are conveyed to the
discharge end of the conveyor where a current of air created, say by a fan, passes
upwards and carries with it the cotton as it passes over the end of the conveyor,
the granular material free from fibre or lint falling down into a suitable shoot or
receptacle.
A type of machine which can be used with advantage in connection with this
mode of separating granular material and fibre or lint, is, that where the removed
fibre aud some of the seed which has become broken or granulated or small seed,
is discharged out of the side of the machine, through the apertures in the side or
sides of the machine. In some of such cases, means such as saws, or saws and

page_text: The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings; and the type of
cotton seed cleaning machine therein shewn is that in which along the side of a
horizontal fixed barrel there are openings for its full length, or at intervals along
it, through which the removed fibre or lint and the said granular matters pass.
And besides this, in this machine there are saws working in connection with
these openings, by which the removed lint or fibre is withdrawn from within
the machine.
In the drawings,
Figure 1 is an outside elevation shewing a machine or apparatus according to
this invention;
Figure 2 is a sectional elevation of the machine;
Figure 3 is a cross section taken at the line A A Figure 1; and
Figures 4 and 5 are details shewing parts of the apparatus to an enlarged
scale.
Referring now to the drawings illustrating the invention, the main characteristics
of which are just described, a designates generally the stationary barrel or casing
of a horizontal type of cotton seed cleaner of any known suitable type, and b is
an inner rotating cylinder. In the outer case a olong its whole length, or at
intervals along it, grid bars care provided, between which saws & mounted on
shaft d¹ pass, and by the revolution of which the lint of fibre removed from the
seed is taken from the interior of the machine. In connection with these sawa,
revolving brushes e, the shaft e¹ of wbich is parallel with the saws d, are provided
for removing from the saws any fibre or lint that may adhere to them. h is an
endless conveyor, the details of construction of which are shewn in Figures 4 and 5,
such conveyor being disposed under the openings in the case a, saws d, and
brushes e.
The conveyor is carried by and runs over pullies i, the shaft of which
is revolved from outside the machine. The rate of movement of the conveyor is
slow, say a few feet a minute, that is, it is moved at such a rate as will cause a thin
deposit of fibre or lint upon it.
The conveyor h, the details of which are shewn in Figures 4 and 5, consists
of wooden bars h, a continuous band of canvas h³, and bands h³, say, of leather or
cotton; the canvas being screwed to the wooden strips h', and the bands ³ fastened
to the canvas h².
At the outer end of the conveyor h, a chamber is provided, of which k¹ are
the side walls, and on the outer wall a door k² is provided. On the top of this
chamber is an exhausting fan for creating a rarefaction within the chamber k, the
fan having a discharge spout with a valve 2 on it, onto which a sack o can be
placed.
In action, the short lint or fibre and granular matters and seed which are
removed from the cotton seed cleaner by the saws d, and which fall from it, fall
together onto the travelling conveyor h. The rate of movement of the conveyor
is such that, only a thin and evenly distributed layer or small quantity of the
matters will rest on any one part of it. As the matters fall upon the conveyor.
the granular portions, as broken seed, and whole seeds, if any, find their way into
the spaces between the bars h¹, while the lint or fibre remains mostly on the bars h¹
and above the granular parts; thus the two different kinds of materials or matters
are partially separated, that is, they lie in layers or laminæ upon the conveyor.
In this condition they are conveyed to as far as the outer roller to the chamberk,
in which the roller is placed and works. As the conveyor moves
pulley, it tends to discharge the materials upon it down through the channel k³
between the conveyor and the outer wall k¹ of the chamber k; but by the current
of air flowing up through this channel, due to the exhausting action of the fan 4,
over this

page_text: the fibre or lint will be wholly carried up off the bars ; while the granular and
heavier matters lying between the bars will fall down against the current of
air, they being partially carried past the more intense portion of the current, as
they are shielded somewhat from the current at this part by the bars h¹. The
light and the heavier matters are thus separated. The granular and heavy
matters fall down and are collected, or conducted away by a shoot m, and the fibre
or lint is carried away upon the current of air into the fan 1, from which it is
discharged through its discharge spout into the bag o. This bag being of
loose texture, the air blown into it passes through it, but the lint or fibre is
retained in it; and thus the necessity of a settling chamber to collect it is
obviated.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of this inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. The herein described method of separating fibre or lint removed from cotton
seed cleaned in a cotton seed cleaner from the broken or granulated seed discharged
with such lint or fibre from such cotton seed cleaner, which consists in feeding
the mixed lint or fibre and granulated matter discharged from said cotton seed
cleaner onto a conveyor moving along under the falling matters, with a differential
level platform, onto which the mixed matters fall in a thin layer; and then blowing
upon the lint or fibre and granular matter carried by the conveyor by a current of
air by which the upper layer of lint or fibre is carried away on such air, and
separated from the granular and heavier matters.
2. In the separating of fibre or lint removed from cotton seed cleaned in a cotton
seed cleaner from the broken or granulated seed discharged with such lint or fibre
from such cotton seed cleaner, feeding the mixed lint or fibre and granulated
matter discharged from said cotton seed cleaner onto a conveyor moving along
under the falling matters, with a differential level platform onto which the mixed
matters fall in a thin layer; and discharging the cotton fibre or lint and granular
matter vertically downwards by gravity from said conveyor, and subjecting the
falling material to the action of an upward and opposite current of air, at the
point of commencement of the fall, whereby the layer of fibre or lint is carried
ip by and on the current of air, and the granular matters or seed fall down against
'the current.
3. The combination of a cotton seed cleaner adapted to discharge from it the
removed short fibre or lint; an enclosed conveyor onto which the discharge of this
material takes place; a chamber in which a part of said conveyor is disposed and
works and through which air is caused to, pass; a fan on said chamber for
moving said air; and a channel or space between the end of the conveyor and
a part of the said chamber through which the air moved by the fan passes:
substantially as described.
4. In apparatus for separating the short fibre or lint removed from cotton seed
cleaned in a cotton seed cleaner from the meal or granular matter removed there-
with, and discharged from the machine, a conveyor onto which the materials are
discharged, having a platform of variable levels, the variating levels being
composed of closely arranged parts such as ridges, and intervening recesses, and
adapted to catch and carry the lint or fibre on the higher or upper parts, and to
hold the granular matter in the recesses; substantially as described.
5. In apparatus for separating the short fibre or lint removed from cotton seed
cleaned in a cotton seed cleaner from the meal or granular matter removed there-
-with, and discharged from the machine, a cotton seed cleaner horizontally arranged,
with openings at the side at which the removed short lint or fibre and granulated
seed is discharged; the endless band conveyor, i, having an irregular surface, and
moving in a direction at right angles to the direction of the discharge of matters
onto it; the chamber k in which the outer part of the conveyor is placed and
-works; the channel 4³ between the end of said conveyor and a part of the chamber;

page_text: an exhausting fan 7 adapted to cause a current of air to flow through said
passage; and a receiver on the discharge of said fan into which the mixed
air and lint or fibre are discharged; substantially as set forth.
6. The apparatus having its parts constructed, arranged, and operating,
particularly as set forth with reference to and as shewn in the drawings.
Dated this 18th day of November 1895.
CHEESBROUGH & ROYSTON,
15 Water Street, Liverpool, Applicant's Patent Agents.