Year: 1887

page_text: I BENJAMIN JOSEPH BARNARD MILLS of the firm of. Harris and Mills of
23 Southampton Buildings in the County of Middlesex Patent Agent 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 relates to the class of mali kilns or grain dryers in which several
floors are arranged one above the other, each floor being composed of a series of
oblong sections pivottally supported in the manner like blind slats to be tilted
simultaneously for unloading a floor by precipitating the malt or grain spread thereon
onto the next lower floor, whereby such malt is turned and hand shoveling is
rendered unnecessary.
Prior to this Invention the several tilting trays or sections of sectional malt "kilh
floors have been formed of a length to respectively extend from one side wall to
the opposite side wall of the kiln, the rock shafts upon which said sections have
been secured and supported being extended through and beyond one of the side
walls of the kiln and provided at their said extended ends with cranks which are
connected together in order, that all of the sections may be simultaneously tilted.
In practice the length of each section, has prior to the invention varied from
twenty to fifty feet, and, owing to such great length and to the torsional strain to
which the sections are subjected when they are turned or tilted about the axes'of
their allotted rock shafts and, particularly when they are loaded with grain and turned

page_text: or tilted for the purpose of dumping the same, the trays or sections become so twisted
as to render it necessary not only to straighten them out but to recover them. This
involves a large expense since in addition to the labour involved the covering which
usually consists of finely perforated sheet metal, is expensive.
The principal objects of the Invention are to avoid such twisting of the sections of a
malt kiln floor to relieve the same from the torsional strain to which they have prior
to the invention been subjected and to further provide means whereby the sections can
be tilted with greater case.
To the attainment of such ends the invention consists, in a sectional malt kiln floor
divided transversely into two or more series of tilting sections, each series being
separate from and independent of the adjacent series, with separate operating means
for each series, in which way the sectional floor can be sub divided into a number of
short tilting sections, which on account of their comparative shortness in length are
not liable to twist under torsional strain.
The Invention further consists in certain matters of combination construction and
arrangement herein after described and particularly pointed out in the claims.
In the accompanying drawing Figure 1. represents in perspective a portion of a malt
kiln floor constructed in accordance with the invention.
Figure 2 a sectional elevation taken transversely through a portion of Figure 1, and
Figure 3, a bottom view of several of the tilting sections of which each floor is
composed.
Corresponding letters in the several figures of the drawings designate like paris.
Each floor of a malt kiln constructed in accordance with the invention is divided into
two or more series of tilting trays or sections, the trays of one series being herein
lettered A, A, A, those of another series A A A¹ and those of a third
series A2 A2 A².
The trays of each series are connected to be tilted independently of the other series,
whereby the several sections are shortened so as to be lighter, stiffer and better self
sustaining for the load of grain or malt placed thereon, than where such sections are
made to reach the entire width of the building.
Each such tray or section may be of any desired construction, for example, it may
consist of a rectangular frame composed of two flat iron side-bars a connected by
rivetting between them end bars and c and intermediate brace bars d, that have
rectangularly bent ends. Each such frame has secured upon it a plate g of perforated
and galvanized sheet metal by small angle plates that are rivetted to both the frame
bars a band and to plates g.. These plates g are projecting with one edge a short
distance beyond the edge of the frame, so as to overlap the next adjoining section and
to cover the joint between the two section frames.
A shaft is passed through a central eye in end bar b, and into a long hub of end
bar c, into which also enters the end of shaft of the abutting section A¹ of the
adjoining series, the end bare of which has a hub of sufficient size bore to be sleeved
upon hub of bar c.
The outward ends of shafts C and C are pivotted in suitable supports while the hubs
of end plates c, that hold the abutting ends of such shafts, are pivotally supported. in
bearings formed to the upper extremities of curved brackets D that are pivotied or
otherwise rigidly secured to a longitudinal girder E, which may he formed as shown
of two iron bars' placed on edge, between which the brackets I are bolted or rivetted,
and which with their ends rest in the end walls of the building. Each bracket D also
has a side lug forming a stop or support for each section A or B when on a horizontal
position.
F
Each section is provided at a point intermediate of its ends with a pendant arm.
conveniently formed by a plate having flanged portions which can be secured by bolis
or. rivets to the side bars of the tilting section frame. Each such plate F, thus forming
án additional brace-bar, has a hub through which the, shaft or C is passed and
secured therein, and has a curved or angular portion. The ends of all the arms F.of
a series of sections A, A¹ or A², and so on are pivotally connected with a reciprocating

page_text: har G which can be divided longitudinally or composed of two parts in order to permit
the lower ends of said arms to be received and pivotally held between its two parts or
divisions. One of these reciprocatory bars G is provided for each series of tilting
sections, and each bar is by a link H connected with the rectangular arm of a lever J,
the end of which is pivoted in a wall bracket ; when this lever J is in its vertical
position all the sections A, A1, A2, etc. coupled therewith will be on a horizontal
position forming an unbroken level floor, but by swinging the lever nearly a quarter
turn downward the row of sections will be turned more than a quarter revolution to
occupy with their shoot metal faces an oblique downward position, thereby throwing
off every corn of grain thereupon.
A hook or other suitable locking device may be fixed to the wall for rigidly securing
each lever J on its vertical position and thereby preventing the tilting of the sections.
The advantages of the above as compared with former constructions of tilting malt.
floors will be readily seen. In the first place a floor thus composed of short sections
arranged transversely in two or more series as shown is more substantial and then
again while the sections can be tilted more than a quarter turn, the operation of
such tilting requires less time and manual labour.
It is obvious that while a limited number only of series of filting sections are
herein shown, any more of such series could be provided without further invention
or experiment, and in fact where a tray, is say, about eight feet long, from six to
nine or more series will in practice be found to afford an economical size of kiln
floor. The beams or girders E can of course be duplicated or multiplied according
to the number of series of sections provided, the tilting section supported by the rod
or shaft C can at one end have a hub similar to the hub of plate of the adjacent
tilting section and adapted to receive both the shaft C' and the shaft of a third tilting
section, and so on.
It is understood while the arrangement of rods or rock shafts C, C', herein shown
constitute efficient means for permitting the desired rocking or tilting motion of the
floor sections that other ways of pivotting or journaling the tilting floor sections
could be adopted without departing from the invention, and that irrespective both of
said particular devices and of the devices for operating the sections, I desire to
broadly cover the feature of a sectional malt kiln floor divided transversely into two
or more series of tilting sections, each series being separate from and independent of
the adjacent series, with any suitable separate means for tilting the sections of one
series independently of the sections of the adjacent series.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
1. A malt kiln constructed with a sectional floor divided transversely into two or
more series of tilting sections, each series being separate from and independent of
the adjacent series, combined with separate operating means for each series,
substantially as set forth.
2. A malt kiln floor having a series of tilting sections each provided at a point
intermediate of its ends with a pendant arm combined with a reciprocatory bar
connecting together said pendant arms, and means substantially as set forth for
reciprocating said bar.
3. The sectional floor of a malt kiln divided transversely into two or more separate
and independent series of tilting sections, combined with separate operating devices
one for each of said series, said operating devices being connected with the tilting
sections at points intermediate of the ends of the latter substantially as and for the
purpose described.
4. The sectiona! floor of a mali kiln divided transversely into two or more
separate and independent series of tilting sections, each tilting section being
provided with a pendant arm, combined with a set of reciprocatory bars for tilting
the said sections and levers for actuating said bars, each reciprocatory bar being

page_text: connected with the pendant arms of the tilting sections of but one series of said
sections, substantially as described.
5. A sectional malt kiln floor divided transversely into two or more separate and
independent series of tilting sections, combined with supports substantially as
described for upholding said sections where the ends of the sections of one series
are in opposition to the ends of the next adjacent series, and separate operating
means for each series substantially as described."
B. J. B. MILES.
By Harris & Mills,
23 Southampton Buildings,
Agents.