Year: 1886

page_text: I, EDWARD ELLIS ALLEN, of 111 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, in the County of
Middlesex, Civil Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
My invention consists in forming the walls of silos in sections composed of separate
timber or iron frames, covered on the inside or lined with plain galvanized iron or
zinc sheeting, the thin metal being supported by cross pieces dividing the sections into
suitable squares or compartments.
These several sections are securely bolted together, with strips of tarred felt between,
and to top and bottom wall plates, and thus silos of any size and form may be built
up, both air and water tight.
Instead of plain metal sheets, I sometimes use stout match boarding, or tongued and
grooved boarding for the said lining, either alone or with another skin so to speak. I
cover or fill in the framing with galvanized corrugated iron sheets for the outside, the
space between the outer and inner skins being filled in with any suitable dry non-
conducting material, such as saw dust, dry earth, peat or burnt clay. In this manner
I am able to produce silos at a much lower price, and much less in weight; and in a
more conveniently portable form than can be done either in brickwork, stone, or
concrete blocks or slabs, and with this advantage that any of the said sections can be
readily removed for the purpose of cutting out the silage, in place of forming doors at
certain places only.
Where solid walls or closed silos are not required I construct a framework of timber
or iron composed of four or more uprights or standards equal to, or somewhat
exceeding the whole height of the intended stack of silage, bracing and tying the said
standards together by quartering, or with wire rope.
These standards are firmly set up in the ground at, or near, the corners and at the
sides of the intended stacks, and I form shallow sides to the silo, formed of two narrow
sets of boards on edge, and which, for clear description, may be called Nos. 1 and 2,
and which constitute moulds into which the substance intended for silage may be
гр.

page_text: firmly pressed, especially at the edges, and in which the form and line of the intended
stack may he accurately determined and kept. When this is done to the depth of the
said two boards, say 2 feet more or less, the under, or say No. 1, set of boards are
removed, the end boards by preference being detached from the ends of the longitudinal
ones, and the latter drawn out end wise, and replaced above the uppermost, or No. 2,
set of boards, the material being then again filled in to the upper edge of No. 1 set
when the lower, or No. 2, set of boards are removed in the same manner, and are
placed over No. 1 set, and so on alternately till the whole stack be completed, and the
boards remain at the top where they will conveniently form a box or frame into which
earth or other material for weighting may be placed, either directly on the stack with or
without any divisional matter between; or a movable bottom of planks may be so arranged
that the whole box or frame, together with the weighting material, may if required be
raised by means of block tackle attached to top quartering pieces. The longitudinal
boards, if very long, may be made in two halves or lengths, each half being drawn out
at opposite ends, the end boards or the halves of the longitudinal ones being properly
secured. The movable bottom may be supported by clip bolts or lugs which are moved
out of the way while the frames act as moulds, and are only turned round so as to
support the bottom to sustain the weighting material.
In circular moulds more especially, which may conveniently be constructed of angle
iron at top and bottom, and plate iron between, I have found the act of pressing down
the silage material has a tendency to raise the said mould gradually, but this tendency
can be increased by making the moulds slightly conical in the case of circular ones, or
generally, as regards other shapes rather less at top than at bottom, and so avoiding
the necessity of block tackle, except where it is wanted for the purpose of raising the
weighting material.
In order to facilitate the removal of the boards when being drawn out, as above
described, between the uprights or standards, and when the intended silage is pressed
firmly against them I cover the said boards with thin galvanized iron or zinc sheeting,
thus presenting a perfectly smooth surface and avoiding unnecessary friction.
In some cases it may be found convenient, instead of removing the above named
moulds formed of sets of boards, called Nos. 1 and 2, by alternately placing one set
over the other, to use one set only and raise the same without dislocation by means of
block tackle, or by tapering the inside surface as above referred to the standards
forming guides until the said moulds gradually approach the top when it would in the
way already described form a super silo and be available as described for the weighting
material. I prefer to attach the end boards of the frames or moulds, called Nos. 1
and 2, to the longitudinal boards by means of wedges or "tail pins" similar to those
used in fastening in the tail board of carts, but other means may be used; and if the
said frames complete be drawn or otherwise moved upwards as described, instead of
the boarding being separately removed, the said frames may be permanently formed
and made in shape either square, rectangular, with square or polygonal ends, or be
circular. After completion of the stack and the adjustment of the weighting
arrangements the main framing may be removed to form another stack if required.
The roofs of the silos are, according to my invention, made by laying a ridge board
along the longitudinal curve of the silo, or on the top of end wall plates or upon
the cross pieces of framing or top of the moulds; or, short King posts may be
attached to these several parts into which the ridge board can be fitted, and upon
which and the longitudinal wall plates or other suitable bearers for the lower ends,
sheets of corrugated iron or other material may be laid but I prefer to surround
each sheet, whether plain or corrugated, with a light timber framing, thus forming
separate sections several of these being bolted together and to the ridge, and properly
secured at their lower ends.
I find such timber framed sections are readily handled and are kept in good
condition, and when not required are readily handled, and are kept in good condition,
and when not required are stacked in small space. These roof sections need not be
lined.
Any suitable arrangement for weighting may be adopted in connection with my

page_text: invention, but as there are points about those now in use more or less objectionable, I
have devised plans for obviating the removal of the pressing or screwing gear. For
this purpose planks are laid over the silage and beams across them, as usual, large nuts
being firmly secured at their ends and which work along vertical rods having threads
cut upon them and terminating in square heads, or otherwise, so as to enable them to
be rotated by means of levers which may simply be hand spikes, or arranged to work
as ratchet braces. The lower ends of the said rods are passed through beams laid at
the bottom of the silo or stack having good heads and washers to allow of being freely
turned. A modified form of pressure arrangement is made by allowing the ratchet
brace gear, or hand spikes, to act upon small pinions which work in vertical (sunk)
racks attached to the standards of the frames before described, or in the case of solid
or closed silos attached to studs or quartering bolted between the sections forming the
sides of the silo.
These racks should also be sunk so that they do not project beyond the general
surface of the silo which it is desirous should be perfectly smooth on the inside. The
said racks are best formed by taking a bar of suitable thickness and having the spaces
between the teeth cut away, into which spaces the teeth of the pinions work.
Instead of rack and pinion arrangement the pinion may be a worm wheel, and the
rack made in form to correspond with it. In these arrangements the pressure gearing
is not required to be moved, and thus much time is saved.
The roofing sections herein before described may conveniently be employed as part
of the apparatus for compressing stacks of silage, by curving them to a segment of a
circle, instead of being flat, and making the frame work of angle iron with cross
strengthening pieces at the ends. To these ends I attach wire ropes, chains, or rods,
passing down each side of the stack, by preference, one to each section.
Eyebolts are secured to beams placed below the stack corresponding to each section
in position, and are temporarily connected with the aforesaid ropes, chains, or rods, by
short pieces of chain, or perforated bars, and block tackle is used to draw the ends of
the said ropes chains or rods down towards the eye bolts, and so put pressure on the
stack, over the top of which the roof sections lie.
When each section has been brought as low as convenient, it is retained in place by
the short chains or perforated bars before referred to, until it can again be operated
upon by the shrinkage of the material.
The stack itself is formed by the moulds already fully described which in some cases
may be used without standards or guides, being made somewhat deeper; and arrange-
ments being made for retaining the top mould in position over the bottom one as their
position is alternately altered.
In this case the circular mould before described can also be made considerably
deeper than where guides or standards are used.
131
T 1
100%

page_text: Production and Stacking of Ensilage.
I, EDWARD ELLIS ALLEN of 111 Cheyne Walk, Chelsea, in the County of
Middlesex Civil Engineer 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:-
In order that my invention may be fully understood and readily carried into effect I
will describe same with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Figure 1 is an elevation, and Figure 2 is an enlarged horizontal section shewing
the construction of the walls of silos when composed of sections according to my
invention; Figure 3 is a perspective view shewing the general construction and
arrangement of silos especially suitable in cases where closed walls or sides are not
required. Figure 4 is a perspective view shewing a silo roof constructed or formed
in sections according to my invention; Figure 5 is a sectional elevation shewing
arrangement of screwed rods and nuts for compressing the silage, and Figure 6 shews
a rack arrangement for a like purpose; Figure 7 is an end elevation, and Figure 8 a
partial side elevation of a silo roof arranged in sections, and which may be also
employed as part of the apparatus for compressing the silage.
According to my invention I form the walls of silos in sections A composed of
separate timber or iron frames a Figs. 1 and 2 covered on the inside or lined with
plain galvanized iron or zinc sheeting supported by cross pieces dividing the sections
into suitable squares or compartments. These several sections A are securely bolted
together with strips of tarred felt between and to top and bottom wall plates c, d, and
thus sides of any size and form may be built up both air and water tight. Instead of
plain metal sheets I sometimes use stout match boarding or tongued and grooved
boarding e Figure 2 for the said lining. I either employ the sheet metal covering b
or the tongue and grooved boarding e for covering in the sections A either alone or
with an outer skin of corrugated iron f the space between the outer and inner skins b
and being filled in with any suitable dry non-conducting material g such as sawdust,
dry earth, peat, or burnt clay. In this manner I am able to produce silos at a much
lower price and much less in weight and in a more conveniently portable form than
can be done either in brickwork, stone, or concrete blocks or slabs, and with this
advantage that any of the said sections can be readily removed for the purpose of
cutting out the silage in place of forming doors at certain places only.
Where solid walls or closed silos are not required I construct a framework of timber
or iron, and as shewn with reference to Fig. 3, composed of four or more uprights or
standards equal to or somewhat exceeding the whole height of the intended stack of
silage bracing or tying the said standards together by poles or quartering, or with
wire rope. These standards are firmly set up in the ground at or near the corners
and at the sides of the intended stacks and I provide shallow sides to the silo formed

page_text: of two narrow sets of boards on edge Nos. 1 and 2 Figure 3 constituting moulds into
which the substance intended for silage may be firmly pressed especially at the edge
and in which the form and line of the intended stack may be accurately determined and
kept. When this is done to the depth of the said two boards say 2 feet more or less
the under or say No. 1 set of boards are removed the end boards by preference being
detached from the ends of the longitudinal ones and the latter drawn out endwise
and replaced above the uppermost or No. 2 set of boards the material being then
again filled into the upper edge of No. 1 set when the lower or No. 2 set of boards
are removed in the same manner and are placed over No. 1 set and so on alternately
till the whole stack be completed and the boards remain at the top where they will
conveniently form a box or frame into which earth or other material for weighting
may be placed either directly on the stack with or without any divisional matter
between, or a movable bottom of planks may be so arranged that the whole box or
frame together with the weighting material may if required be raised by means of
block tackle attached to the top poles or quartering pieces. The longitudinal boards
if very long may be made in two halves or lengths cach half being drawn out at
opposite ends, the end boards or the halves of the longitudinal ones being properly
secured. The movable bottom may be supported by clip bolts or lugs which are
moved out of the way while the frames act as moulds and are only turned round
so as to support the bottom to sustain the weighting material.
In circular moulds more especially those which may conveniently be constructed
of angle iron at top and bottom and plate iron between I have found the act of
pressing down the silage material has a tendency to raise the said mould gradually
but this tendency can be increased by making the moulds slightly conical in the case
of circular ones or generally as regards other shapes rather smaller at the top than
at bottom and so avoiding the necessity of otherwise raising such moulds except where
block tackle is wanted for the purpose of raising the weighting material. In order
to facilitate the removal of the boards when being drawn out as above described
between the uprights or standards and when the intended silage is pressed firmly
against them I sometimes cover the said board with thin galvanized iron or zine
sheeting thus presenting a perfectly smooth surface and avoiding unnecessary
friction.
In some cases it may be found convenient instead of removing the above named
moulds formed of sets of boards called Nos. 1 and 2 by alternately placing one set
over the other to use one set only and raise the same without dislocation by means
of block tackle or by tapering the inside surface as above referred to, the standards
would
forming guides until the said moulds gradually approach the top when
in the way already described form a super-slo and be available as described for the
weighting material. I prefer to attach the end boards of the frames or moulds Nos. 1.
and 2 Fig. 3 to the longitudinal boards by means of wedges or
"tail pins
those used in fastening in the tail board of carts, but other means may be used; and
if the said frames complete be drawn or otherwise moved upwards as described
instead of the boards being separately removed the said frames may be permanently
formed and made in shape either square, rectangular with square or polygonal ends
or be circular. After completion of the stack and the adjustment of the weighting
arrangements the main framing may be removed to form another stack if required.
similar to
The roofs of the silos are according to my invention with reference to Figure 4 of
the drawing made by laying a ridge board along the longitudinal centre of the silo
or on the top of end wall plates of closed or solid silos or upon the cross pieces of
fraining or top of the mould boards; or short King posts g may be attached to
these several parts into which the ridge board can be fitted and upon which and the
longitudinal wall plates or other suitable bearers for the lower ends, framed sections A'
of corrugated iron h, roof shingles, or other material may be laid but I prefer to sur-
round each sheet or section with a light timber or angle or T iron framing as seen in
Fig. thus forming separate sections; several of these being bolted together and to
the ridge and properly secured at their lower ends. I find such framed sections A¹

page_text: are readily handled and are kept in good condition and when not required are stacked
in small space. These roof sections need not be lined.
Any suitable arrangement for weighting may be adopted in connection with my
invention but as there are points about those now in use more or less objectionable
I have devised plans for obviating the removal of the pressing or screwing gear; for
this purpose planks are laid over the silage and beams across them as usual; as shewn
at Figure 5 large nuts being firmly secured at their ends and which work along
vertical rods having threads cut upon them and terminating at the upper end in
square heads or otherwise so as to enable them to be rotated by means of levers which
may simply be hand spikes or arranged to work as ratchet braces. The lower ends of
the said rods are passed through beams laid at the bottom of the silo or stack having
good heads and washers to allow of being freely turned. A modified form of pressure
arrangement is made by allowing the ratchet brace gear or hand spikes to act upon
small pinions which work in vertical (sunk) racks, see Fig. 6, attached to the standards
of the frames before described or in the case of solid silos attached to studs or
quartering bolted between the sections forming the sides of the silo. These racks
should also be sunk so that they do not project beyond the general surface of the silo
which it is desirous should be perfectly smooth on the inside. The said racks are
best formed by taking a bar of suitable thickness and having the spaces between the
teeth cut away, into which spaces the teeth of the pinions work. Instead of rack and
pinion arrangement the pinion may be a worm wheel k as shewn by Fig. 6 and the
rack made in form to correspond with it. In these arrangements the pressure
gearing is not required to be moved and thus much time is saved.
The roofing sections hereinbefore described may conveniently be employed as part
of the apparatus for compressing stacks of silage by curving them to a segment of a
circle instead of being flat as shewn at Figs. 7 and 8 and making the framework of
angle iron with cross strengthening pieces at the ends. To these ends I attach rods !
passing down each side of the stack; eye or hook bolts m are secured to beams placed
below the stack corresponding to each section in position and are temporarily con-
nected with the aforesaid rods chains or rods n, block tackle o being used to draw
the several roof sections A¹ down towards the eye bolts and so put pressure on the
stack over the top of which the roof sections lie; when each section has been brought
as low as convenient it is retained in place by the chains n before referred to until
they can again be operated upon by the shrinkage of the material.
The stack itself is formed by the moulds already fully described which in some cases
may be used without standards or guides, being made somewhat deeper, and arrange-
ments being made for retaining the top mould in position over the bottom one as their
position is alternately altered. In this case the circular mould before described can
also be made considerably deeper than where guides or standards are used.
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 is :-
1. In the construction of silos and apparatus for the production and stacking of
ensilage, forming the walls in sections or parts A whereby such walls or sides of any
size or form may be conveniently built up, and sections or parts A may be removed at
any desired place for cutting out the silage, all substantially as and for the purposes
described with reference to Figs. 1 and 2 of the accompanying drawings.
2. In the construction of silos and apparatus for the production and stacking of
ensilage, the framing and moulds Nos. 1 and 2 for the formation of stacks sub-
stantially as described and shewn with reference to Fig. 3 of the accompanying
drawings.
3. In the construction of silos and apparatus for the production and stacking of
ensilage; the construction of permanent stack moulds having vertical or inclined
sides substantially as herein described.
4. In the construction of silos and apparatus for the production and stacking of
ensilage, forming the roofs of such stacks or silos in sections or parts A¹ substan-

page_text: tially as and for the purposes herein described with reference to Fig. 4 of the
accompanying drawings.
5. In the construction of silos and apparatus for the production and stacking of
ensilage; the pressing gear essentially consisting of screwed rods j and nuts i
substantially as shewn with reference to Fig. 5 of the accompanying drawings.
6. In the construction of silos and apparatus for the production and stacking of
ensilage; the pressing gear essentially consisting of worm wheel or pinion k and rack
substantially as shewn and described with reference to Fig. 6 of the accompanying
drawings.
7. In the construction of silos and apparatus for the production and stacking of
ensilage; the construction and arrangement of roofs for stacks and appliances con-
nected therewith for compressing or assisting in the compression of the silage
substantially as shewn and described with reference to Figs. 7 and 8 of the
accompanying drawings.
101 1
2 A
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