IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR SEPARATING AND PURIFYING MIDDLINGS AND SEMOLINA
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Louis Fiechter, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster,
for the Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN AND APPERTAINING TO APPARATUS OR
MACHINERY FOR SEPARATING AND PURIFYING MIDDLINGS AND SEMOLINA." A
communication from abroad by John Fiechter Langmesser, of Basle.
Sealed the 5th March 1880, and dated the 13th September 1879.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Louis Fiechter at the Office
of the Commissioners of Patents on the 13th September 1879.
"
LOUIS FIECHTER, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster. IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND APPERTAINING TO APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR SEPARATING AND PURIFY-
ING MIDDLINGS AND SEMOLINA." A communication from abroad by John Fiechter
Langmesser, of Basle.
This Invention is an improvement on the old centrifugal purifier known as the
Helvetic.
1
The middlings to be purified are led from a hopper supplied with a feed roller or
other regulator upon a sieve or sifter. From thence (or direct from a silk dresser)
they fall sorted through the hopper of the purifier on to a circular disc or cast iron
plate revolving at a high speed, say about 200 revolutions per minute; this throws
the middlings, according to their specific gravity, into two cylindrical compartments
below, centrifugal force acting against a current of air.
The light fluff or dust, small particles of bran, and the like find the current of air
more powerful than the centrifugal force, and are carried inward into a central
chamber, and are from thence drawn by a fan into the stive room.
The lighter
middlings fall nearly vertically through the current of air into an annular chamber
in which a scraper on an arm of the shaft that drives the disc is continually revolv-
ing, and discharges the contents down a spout. The sharps fly outward into the
outer casing and fall down a narrow annular chamber up which a uniform con-
tinuous current of air is rising from an annular orifice; this carries back any fluff,
bran, or other light matter that may have been carried over by the sharps. Similarly,
another current of air, but slightly less powerful from passing through a contracted
opening, can, if desired, be made to pass up the inner annular chamber and purify
the lighter middlings as they fall. In this manner each grain of middlings will, as it
Price G1

page_text: were, be sorted over and the most perfect separation of the lighter and inferior grains,
as well as the intermixed fluff and bran, will take place, that is, the good sharps that
are thrown by the disc into the outer division fall down the sloping bottom into one
spout; lighter middlings, and possibly unseparated bran or fluff, with middlings
sticking to it, fall into the inner annular cylinder, and out through another spout,
while the bran and fluff escape through the fan. The admission of air to the outer
cylindrical chamber is regulated by increasing or diminishing the area of the annular
orifice by raising or lowering the cylinder or hopper below, and thus bringing the
two edges of the orifice nearer together or further apart. This enables me to purify
different varieties of middlings with equal success. In the cast iron cover of the
purifying cylinder I place glass panes, so that the operation can always be inspected.
Where two, three, or more machines are run together the suction can be further
regulated by aid of a star valve in fan case, and on single cylinder purifiers by a
single valve. The disc and inner annular chamber are moveable and adjusted by set
screws, and the vertical shaft is driven preferably by friction. The entire machine
is usually made of iron. I sometimes place a row of these machines with their
hoppers immediately below a silk machine, all driven by one horizontal shaft, with
a suction channel below leading to the stive room.
Sometimes I vary this arrangement by placing a scraper attached to the shaft in
the outer cylinder, which scraper throws down the better middlings. I also make
the discs with a projecting point in the centre gradually descending in a curved
contour, parabolic or otherwise, towards the circumference, so that the material is
more easily thrown off; this is especially useful for finer middlings. In some cases.
I use a disc delivering onto an annular disc below whose interior diameter is little
larger than the exterior diameter of the first disc. I thus obtain two separations,
the first from the small centre disc onto the lower annular one, the fluff falling into
the central hole, and the second separation at the edge of the annular diso, similar
to that already described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said Louis Fiechter in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 13th March
1880.
LOUIS FIECHTER, of Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster.
"IMPROVEMENTS IN
AND APPERTAINING TO APPARATUS OR MACHINERY FOR SEPARATING AND PURIFY-
ING MIDDLINGS AND SEMOLINA." A communication from abroad by John Fiechter
Langmesser, of Basle.
This Invention is an improvement on the old centrifugal purifier known as the
Helvetic.
The middlings to be purified are led from a hopper supplied with a feed roller or
other regulator upon a sieve or sifter. From thence (or direct from. a silk dresser)
they fall sorted through the hopper of the purifier onto a circular disc or cast-iron
plate revolving at a high speed, say about 150 revolutions per minute; this throws
the middlings, according to their specific gravity, into two cylindrical compartments
below, centrifugal force acting against a current of air.
The light fluff or dust, small particles of bran and the like, find the current of air
more powerful than the centrifugal force, and are carried inward into a central
chamber, and are from thence drawn by a fan into the stive room.
The lighter
middlings fall nearly vertically through the current of air into an annular chamber in.
which a scraper on an arm of the shaft that drives the disc is continually revolving,
and discharges the contents down a spout. The heavy middlings fly outward.
into the outer casing and fall down a narrow annular chamber up which a uniform
continuous current of air is rising from an annular orifice; this carries back any
fluff, bran, or other light matter that may have been carried over with the middlings.
In this manner each grain of middlings will, as it were, be sorted over, and the most
perfect separation of the lighter and inferior grains, as well as the intermixed fluff
and bran, will take place, that is, the good middlings that are thrown by the
disc into the outer division fall down the sloping bottom into one spout. The
admission of air to the outer cylindrical chamber is regulated by increasing or
diminishing the area of the annular orifice by raising or lowering the ring Q applied
on the bottom of the cylinder, and thus bringing the two edges of the orifice nearer
or further apart. This enables me to purify different varieties of middlings with
equal success. In the cast-iron cover of the purifying cylinder I place glass panes,
so that the operation can always be inspected. The suction can be further regulated
by aid of a star-valve in the fan case. The disc and inner annular chamber are
movable and adjusted by set screws, and the vertical shaft is driven preferably by
friction. The machine is usually made of iron. I sometimes place a row of cylinders
with their hoppers immediately below a silk machine, all driven by one horizontal
shaft, with a suction channel below leading to the stive room.
Sometimes I vary this arrangement by placing a scraper attached to the shaft in
the outer cylinder, which scraper throws down the better middlings. I also some-'
times make the discs with a projecting point in the centre gradually descending in
a curved contour, parabolic or otherwise, towards the circumference, so that the
material is more easily thrown off. This is especially useful for finer middlings.
The accompanying Drawings illustrate the best mode known to me of carrying
my Invention into effect, in which Fig. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view of a pair
of my apparatus working together; Fig. 2, a transverse section through one of the
cylinders. Like letters describe like parts in both Figures.
The middlings to be purified are led from a hopper A supplied with a feed roller
a or other regulator upon a sieve or sifter P. From thence (or direct from a flour
dressing machine) they fall sorted or separated from heavy bran through the hopper
C onto a small disc plate d inside the small hopper C', and fixed on top of vertical

page_text: shaft X placed in the centre of the cylinder G. Instead of the above arrangement
the middlings can descend through a spout from a flour dressing machine direct onto
disc d. This latter arrangement does not require the middlings to be further sepa-
rated by the sieve apparatus P. This small disc d distributes, or more correctly
breaks up, the middlings onto a larger circular disc or cast-iron plate D revolving
at a speed of from 150 to 160 revolutions per minute; this throws the middlings
(separated already from large and heavy bran by silk sieve or flour dressing machine
as above described), according to the specific gravity, into cylindrical compartments
below. In this case centrifugal force operates against a current of air operating
through circular orifice J between the top and bottom cylinders, and this suction is
produced by a fan.
This suction power can be regulated by means of a ring Q adapted at the outside
of the upper cylinder Y, and by the star-valve W of the cylindrical spout V
connected with the fan. This ring can be lowered, the orifice between the two
cylinders reduced, and the star-valve opened for purifying fine middlings, or vice
versa for coarse. Thus the star-valve acts in direct opposition with the ring, that
is, it draws the current of air admitted through the annular opening J betwixt the
top and bottom cylinders.
The air enters through the orifice J and passes through the stream of middlings
falling from the disc D. Middlings too light to resist the effect of wind, yet too
heavy to fly inward, fall straight down into the middle cylinder or compartment F,
and are scraped down a spout or outlet L by means of a scraper T fixed on the shaft
or spindle X of the disc D.
The heaviest are thrown out into the outer casing and fall down a narrow
annular chamber E, and any light particles that may still be mixed with middlings
(purified) will be carried back by the ascending current of air. The purified or
heavy middlings, after passing the orifice J between top and bottom cylinders, fall
down a sloping bottom cylinder N into spout O, and are discharged. All pollard,
fluff, and floury stuff fly inward immediately below the disc D into the inner
cylinder G by means of the suction above described as soon as the middlings fly off
the disc.
In the cast-iron cover of the purifying cylinder I place glass panes S, S, so that
the operation can always be inspected.
I place two, three, or four cylinders for complete purifiers in one machine with
silk riddle, according to the requirements, and give, each cylinder a fan (single or
double fans), or I place a row of cylinders with the hoppers immediately below a
flour dressing machine, and all can be driven by one horizontal shaft with a suction
channel below leading to the stive room.
The disc D and annular cylinder E are removable and adjusted by set-screws.
The vertical shaft X is driven preferably by friction of two conical wheels R. The
entire machine and framework is usually made of iron.
Having now described my Invention, and the best mode known to me of carrying
it into effect, I wish it to be understood that what I believe to be new, and desire
to protect under the hereinbefore in part recited Letters Patent, is,-
First. The general combination of parts forming a machine or apparatus for
separating and purifying middlings and semolina, substantially as herein described.
Second. The manufacture or use of machinery or apparatus for separating and
purifying middlings and semolina, in which the materials to be separated are
projected by centrifugal force against a current of air flowing upwards approxi-
mately in the direction opposite and contrary to the action of the centrifugal force,
or to a combination or resultant of that force and the force of gravity.
Third. The manufacture or use of machinery or apparatus for separating and
purifying middlings and semolina, in which the middlings or semolina continue
throughout their entire projection, and fall in a contrary current of air tending to
separate them, substantially as described.

page_text: Fourth. The combination of a ring Q and the opening J. between the cylinders,
substantially as and for the purposes described.
Fifth. The mode of and apparatus for regulating the current of air by the ring Q
or its equivalent, and a star-valve or its equivalent in the exit passage, substantially
as and for the purposes described.
Sixth. The combination of a row or series of apparatus such as above described
placed below a flour dressing reel, each purifying a different grade of middlings or
semolina.
In witness whereof, I; the said Louis Fiechter, have hereunto set my hand
and seal, this Eleventh day of March, in the year of our Lord One thousand
eight hundred and eighty.
LOUIS FIECHTER. (L.S.)
Witness,
J. OWDEN O'BRIEN,
Clerk to W. P. Thompson & Co.,
British and International Patent Agents,
6, Lord Street, Liverpool, and
323, High Holborn, W.C.