IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AND ASSORTING SEMOLINA AND REDUCING THE SAME TO FLOUR
Year: 1867

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to Gustav Adolph Buchholz,. of Shepherd's Bush, in the
County of Middlesex, Gentleman, for the Invention of "IMPROVED
APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AND ASSORTING SEMOLINA AND REDUCING
THE SAME TO FLOUR."
Sealed the 17th September 1867, and dated the 28th March 1867.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said Gustav Adolph Buchholz
at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
28th March 1867.
I, GUSTAV ADOLPH BUCHHOLZ, of Shepherd's Bush, in the County of
Middlesex, Gentleman, do hereby declare the nature of the said Invention
for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AND ASSORTING SEMOLINA AND
REDUCING THE SAME TO FLOUR," to be as follows:-
This Invention relates to improvements upon the process of reducing
granular substances described in my Patents dated respectively April 18th,
1863 (No. 976), and January 5th, 1865 (No. 38), and consists, firstly, in
novel forms of rollers for producing semolina; secondly, in apparatus for
separating the bran from the somolina, and at the same time separating the
light from the heavy particles of semolina; and, thirdly, in the application of
grooved rollers for reducing somolina to flour.
In the last stage of the process of removing the semolina from the bran, as
described in my above-named Patent of 1865, I have found that a better
result is obtained by lengthening the time of contact between the grains and

page_text: the acting surface of the separating rollers. This object I now propose to
effect by cutting the grooves of a helical form instead of in a line parallel with
their axis; these helical cuts may run in one direction only or cross each
other, and thereby form the grooves into cutting teeth of any desired obtuseness
or acuteness.
In order to assort the grains of semolina according to their qualities and
remove the bran therefrom I use a novel kind of centrifugal machine, which
may be described as follows:-A hopper is provided for receiving the material
to be assorted; this hopper is closed at bottom by a valve which is capable of
vertical adjustment by means of a balanced rock lever to regulate the flow of
the material therefrom. The semolina with the bran falls from this hopper
into a rotating chamber composed of two parts. An open cylinder of wood
with a flange at bottom fits on to a flanged boss keyed to a vertical spindle;
the two flanged pieces are set at a short distance apart so as to leave an
annular lateral opening between them for the discharge of the semolina; they
are connected together by vertical steel blades inserted in vertical grooves cut
radially in the flanges, and secured by rings which enter cross notches cut in
the blades and ring grooves formed in the periphery of the flange.
This apparatus is mounted in a cylindrical casing, and the spindle projects
down through the bottom of the casing, and is driven by gearing in the
ordinary way. Below the casing and connected with the interior is a set of,
say, three concentric funnels which are intended respectively to receive the
assorted substances and deliver them to proper receptacles. By the rotation
of the chamber into which the semolina to be assorted is delivered a centri-
fugal motion will be imparted to the semolina, and the heavy grains will be
discharged into the case, and falling near the periphery of the casing will
find their way into the outer funnel. The lighter semolina will fall within
the circle of the heavier particles, and will be discharged into the second funnel,
and the bran mixed with the semolina will fall nearer the centre of motion
and escape through the central funnel. To facilitate the operation of this
apparatus I propose to admit air freely to the cylindrical case and to maintain
a partial exhaustion in the funnels by means of an exhaust fan which I connect
thereto. The semolina thus assorted I propose to reduce to flour, using the
heavy or best semolina for the best flour, and the lighter for an inferior
quality.
In the separation of the semolina from the bran by cutting rollers, as
described in my Patent of 1865, I found that the size of the semolina pro-
duced depended upon the size of the grooves of the cutting rollers. Judging
from this fact that it was possible to reduce the grain to flour by modifying

page_text: the apparatus, I have been enabled by experiment to demonstrate the accuracy
of this conclusion, and I now therefore propose, instead of submitting the
semolina to stones to reduce it to flour, to run it through one or more pairs of
steel rollers having fine straight or helical grooves on their periphery, and
driven at different speeds so as to ensure the requisite cutting action.
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said Gustav Adolph Buchholz in the Great Seal Patent Office on
the 28th September 1867.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, GUSTAV
ADOLPH BUCHHOLZ, of Shepherd's Bush, in the County of Middlesex, Gentle-
man, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Iler Letters
Patent, bearing date the Twenty-eighth day of March, in the year of, our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven, in the thirtieth year of Her-
reign, did, for Flerself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,
the said Gustav Adolph Buchholz, Her special licence that I, the said Gustav
Adolph Buchholz, my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others
as 1, the said Gustav Adolph Buchholz, y executors, administrators, 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, tho Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an
Invention for "IMPROVED APPARATUS FOR MANUFACTURING AND ASSORTING SEMOLINA
AND REDUCING THE SAME TO FLOUR," upon the condition (amongst others)
that I, the said Gustav Adolph Buchholz, my executors or administrators,
by an instrument in writing under my, or their, or one of their hands
and seals, should particularly 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 Gustav Adolph Buchholz, lo hereby declare
the nature of my said Invention, and in what manner the same is to be per-
formed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement; reference being had to the Drawing hereunto annexed, and to the
letters and figures marked thereon (that is to say):
This Juvention relates to improvements upon the process of reducing granular

page_text: substances described in my Patents dated respectively April Eighteenth, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-three, No. 976, and January Fifth, One
thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, No. 38, and consists, firstly, in novel
forms of rollers for producing semolina; secondly, in apparatus for separating
the bran from the semolina, and at the same time separating the light from
the heavy particles of semolina; and, thirdly, in the application of grooved
rollers for reducing semolina to flour.
In the last stage of the process of removing the semolina from the bran, as
described in my above-named Patent of One thousand eight hundred and
sixty-five, I have found that a better result is obtained by lengthening the time
of contact between the grains and the acting surface of the separating rollers.
This object I now propose to effect by cutting the grooves of a helical form
instead of in lines parallel with their axis.
In the accompanying Drawing Fig. 1 represents a roller formed with helical
grooves, and Fig. 2 a pair of such rollers. The ribs formed in these rollers by
the grooving may be of any approved section. Examples of different forms
are shewn in plan view and section at 1, 2, and 3 in Figs. 3, and at 4, 5, 6,
and 7 in Figures 4. The helical cuts instead of running in one direction only
may cross each other, as shewn at Fig. 5, and thereby form the ribs into
cutting teeth of any desired obtuseness or acuteness, examples of which are
given in plan and cross section at Figures 6 and 7.
In order to assort the grains of semolina according to their qualities and
remove the bran therefrom I use a novel kind of centrifugal machine, which
is shewn in sectional elevation at Fig. 8, and in plan view at Fig. 9. This may
be described as follows:-A hopper, not shewn in the Drawing, is provided
for receiving the material to be assorted. The pendent discharge tube A of
this hopper is fitted at bottom with a valve B (see the detached view, Fig. 10,)
which represents on an enlarged scale what I term the spreader, to be more
particularly referred to hereafter. The valve B is capable of vertical adjust-
ment by means of a balanced rock lever C to regulate the flow of the material
from the hopper into the assorting machine. The semolina with the bran falls
from this hopper iuto the spreader before mentioned, which consists of a
rotating chamber, in the periphery of which are openings to allow of the dis-
charge of the material horizontally and its consequent descent nearer to or
further from the axis of rotation of the speader, according to the specific
gravity of the individual particles.
The rotating chamber admits of some modification in its construction, as
will be hereafter noticed. That shewn in Fig. 10 in partial sectional eleva-
tion, and in plan view at Fig. 11, is composed of two main parts D, D'; an

page_text: open cylinder of wood D with a flange at bottom is set over a flanged boss D¹,
also of wood, keyed to a vertical spindle E. The two flanged pieces are so
connected together as to leave an annular lateral opening between them for
the discharge of the semolina. This connection is effected by means of steel
blades F inserted in vertical grooves cut radially and at equal distances apart
in the flanges. These blades, which serve as division plates for the annualer
space, are secured to the parts D, D₁, by means of rings G, which enter cross
notches cut in the blades F and ring grooves formed in the periphery of
the flanges. The apparatus thus constructed is mounted in a cylindrical
casing E, and the spindle E projects down through the bottom of the casing,
it being held securely in place by a central bearing cast on the bottom
of the casing H. The shaft may be driven by gearing in the ordinary way;
below the casing and connected by means of openings in the bottom with the
interior is a set of three, or it may be a less or more, concentric funnels I, I, I³,
which are intended respectively to receive the assorted substances and deliver
them to proper receptacles. By the rotation of the spreader into which the
semolina to be assorted is delivered a centrifugal motion will be imparted to
the semolina, and the heavy grains discharged into the casing will fall near its
periphery and find their way into the outer funnel 18; the lighter semolina
will fall within the circle of the heavier particles and will be discharged into
the second funnel 1', and the bran mixed with the semolina will fall nearer
the centro of motion and escape through the central funnel I. To facilitate
the operation of this apparatus I propose to admit air freely to the cylindrical
case, and to maintain a partial exhaustion in the funnels by means of an
exhaust fan K which I connect thereto, as shewn at Fig. 8. The semolina
thus assorted I propose to reduce to flour, using the heavy or best semolina for
the best flour, and the lighter for an inferior quality.
A modified form of the spreader is shewn in partial sectional elevation at
Fig. 12, where the upper part D is secured to the lower D' by means of bolts
and nuts d, d. The lower part D¹, shewn in plan view at Fig. 13, rests on a
flanged termination of the driving spindle, and it is held fast thereto by means
of the bolts d, which pass through the flange. The hollow cylinder D is shewn
in inverted plan at Fig. 14 with the blades F in place. These blades are
shaped as shewn in the detached views, Figures 15, that is, with a square
shoulder which fits into a rebate or recess formed in the hollow cylinder D to
receive them. Instead of making radial cuts for the reception of the blades,
as in the first-described example, 1 form radial spaces by nailing strips of wood
(shewn detached at Figures 16) to the approximating surfaces of the parts D, D',
and insert the blades F therein, as shewn.

page_text: In the separation of the semolina from the bran by cutting rollers, as
described in my Patent of One thousand eight hundred and sixty-five, I found
that the size of the semolina produced depended upon the size of the grooves
of the cutting rollers. Judging from this fact that it was possible to reduce
the grain to flour by modifying the apparatus, I have been enabled by experi-
ment to demonstrate the accuracy of this conclusion, and I now therefore
propose, instead of submitting the semolina to stones for the purpose of
reducing it to flour, to run it through one or more pairs of steel rollers having
fine straight or helical grooves on their periphery, as shewn at Figures 17
and 18; these rollers being driven at different speeds will ensure the requisite
cutting action. The sectional form of the ribs of the steel rollers may vary,
but I prefer the forms shewn at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, Fig. 19, which give a
cutting surface like those shewn in diagram plan at Figures 20 and 21.
Having now set forth the nature of my Invention of "Improved Apparatus
for Manufacturing and Assorting Semolina and Reducing the same to Flour,"
and explained the manner of carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be
understood that under the above in part recited Letters Patent I claim,-
First, forming the rollers used for producing semolina with helical grooves
for the purpose above set forth.
Secondly, the arrangement of apparatus above described for taking out the
bran from semolina and separating the heavy and light particles of semolina
from each other.
Thirdly, the application of grooved rollers, as above described, for reducing
semolina to flour.
In witness whereof, I, the said Gustav Adolph Buchholz, have hereunto
set my hand and seal, the Twenty-seventh day of September, in the
year of our Lord Oue thousand eight hundred and sixty-seven.
Witness,
J. W. MOFFATT,
66, Chancery Lane.
G. A. BUCHHOLZ. (L.S.)