SUNDRY IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SMUT FROM WHEAT
Year: 1875

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Pieter Van Gelder, of Vryenban, near Delft, in
the Kingdom of Holland, at present residing at Sefton Street,
Litherland, in the County of Lancashire, for the Invention of
"SUNDRY IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SMUT FROM WHEAT
Sealed the 13th August 1875, and dated the 27th February 1875.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Pieter Van Gelder at
the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on
the 27th February 1875.
I, PIETER VAN GELDER, of Vryenban, near Delft, in the Kingdom of
Holland, at present residing at Sefton Street, Litherland, in the County
of Lancashire, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention for
"SUNDRY IMPROVEMENTS IN APPARATUS FOR REMOVING SMUT FROM WHEAT AND
FOR THE BETTER CLEANING OF WHEAT AND OTHER GRAINS," to be as follows:-
This Invention has for its object sundry improvements in apparatus
for removing smut from wheat and for the better cleaning of wheat and
other grains. For this purpose an apparatus is formed consisting of

page_text: a strong frame made of wood or iron, which supports a hollow cylinder
made of natural or artificial stone. Within this cylinder revolves on a
vertical spindle a hollow drum made of iron or steel plate, or wire.
The grain is admitted in the space between the outside of the drum
and the inside of the stone cylinder, and is introduced at the top of
this space.
A horizontal fan or ventilator fixed on the same vertical
spindle supplies a strong air draught which is conveyed through a tube
or tubes to the bottom of the space between the cylinder and the
drum.
The inside of the cylinder is provided with helicoidal grooves which
have the twist in the same or in the contrary direction to that in which
the drum revolves according to circumstances. The outside of the drum
has projections standing out from it. At the bottom of the cylinder is
an opening by which the cleaned grain is extracted.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent,
filed by the said Pieter Van Gelder in the Great Seal Patent Office
on the 27th August 1875.
TO ALL TO. WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, PIETER VAN
GELDER, of Vryenban, near Delft, in the Kingdom of Holland, at
present residing at Sefton Street, Litherland, in the County of Lanca-
shire, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-seventh day of February, in the year of
our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five, in the thirty-
eighth year of Her reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give
and grant unto me, the said Pieter Van Gelder, Her special licence that
I, the said Pieter Van Gelder, my executors, administrators, and assigns,
or such others as I, the said Pieter Van Gelder, my executors, admini-
strators, and assigns, should at any time agree with and no others,
from time to time and at all times thereafter during the term therein
expressed, should and lawfully might make, use, exercise, and vend,
within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, the Channel
Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "SUNDRY IMPROVEMENTS IN Appa-
RATUS FOR REMOVING SMUT FROM WHEAT AND FOR THE BETTER CLEANING OF WHEAT

page_text: AND OTHER GRAINS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said
Pieter Van Gelder, my executors or administrators, by an instrument in.
writing under my, or their, or one of their hands and seals, should parti-
cularly describe and ascertain the nature of the said Invention, and
in what manner the same was to be performed, and cause the same
to be filed in the Great Seal Patent Office within six calendar months.
next and immediately after the date of the said Letters Patent.
NOW KNOW YE, that I, the said Pieter Van Gelder, do hereby declare
the nature of the said Invention, and in what manner the same is to
be performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by
the following statement thereof, that is to say :—
'
This Invention has for its object sundry improvements in apparatus
for removing smut from wheat and for the better cleaning of wheat and
other grains. For this purpose an apparatus is formed consisting of
a strong frame made of wood or iron, which supports a hollow cylinder
made of natural or artificial stone. Within this cylinder revolves on a
vertical spindle a hollow drum made of iron or steel plate, or wire.
The grain is admitted in the space between the outside of the drum
and the inside of the stone cylinder, and is introduced at the top of this
space. A horizontal ventilator is fixed on to the vertical spindle and
supplies a strong up air draught which forcing its way through the
helicoidal grooves carries before it all dust and impurities which are
discharged through an opening near the top of the drum, and which.
at the same time improves the condition of the grain.
The inside of the cylinder is provided with helicoidal grooves which
have the twist in the same or in the contrary direction to that in which
the drum revolves, according to circumstances. The outside of the drum
is provided with a rough surface. At the bottom of the cylinder is an
opening by which the cleaned grain is extracted.
Figure 1 shows a vertical section; Figure 2, a side elevation; Figure 3,
a horizontal section on the line A, B, Figure 1; and Figure 4, a
plan view of apparatus for cleaning grain arranged in the manner above
described.
A is the frame to which is secured a vertical cylinder B of stone, by
preference, natural sandstone or an artificial stone composed, say, of 2
parts sharp sand and 1 part Portland cement, the composition depending
on the kinds of grain to be cleaned.

page_text: The stone cylinder is divided vertically into two parts, and is tied
together with iron bands, as shewn, and rests at its lower end on a hori-
zontal floor which forms part of the frame. O is a spindle passing
down vertically through the centre of the cylinder at its lower end; it
rests in a step D, and at its upper end it passes through a bearing E and
carries a driving pulley by means of which it can be revolved. Upon
this spindle is fixed a hollow drum F, the periphery of which is formed
of wire gauze or of perforated sheet metal, with the metal set outwards
around the perforations so as to form numerous small projections
standing out from the sides of the drum. Above the top of the cylinder B
is a fan casing communicating with the cylinder by a central opening G
in the bottom of the casing, as shewn. Upon the spindle are also
fixed fan blades G₁, by which air is drawn in from the top of the
cylinder B and expelled through the outlet G'; an upward current of
air is thereby produced both through the annular space between the
drum F and fixed stone cylinder B, and also from the bottom of this
space through the interior of the drum, a small portion of air being also
drawn in through the inlet pipe I. The helicoidal grooves formed around
the inner surface of the stone cylinder B are shewn at Figure 1. The
grain to be cleaned is fed into the top of the space between the fixed
cylinder and the drum through the pipe I, and as it descends it is carried
round by the revolving of the drum and finally falls away in a cleaned
state from the bottom of the space through the outlet channel J. The
impurities which have been rubbed off from the grain being carried away
by the current of air which is drawn up by means of the fan through the
outlet channel J and expelled from the fan outlet G³.
Having thus described the nature of my Invention and the manner of
performing the same, I would have it understood that I claim, the com-
bined arrangement of apparatus, substantially as herein described for
removing smut from wheat and for cleaning wheat and other grains.
In witness whereof, I, the said Pieter Van Gelder, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, this Ninth day of August, in the year
of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-five.
P. VAN GELDER. (L.S.)