Improvements in Chaff-cutters.
Year: 1898

page_text: Improvements in Chaff-cutters.
We, ALFRED SHUTTLEWORTH & FRANK SHUTTLEWORTII, both of Stamp End
Works, in the City and County of Lincoln, Agricultural Engineers, and ROBERT
GAMBLE, of Stamp End Works, aforesaid, Machine-foreman, do hereby declare the
nature of this invention to be as follows:-
This invention relates to apparatus for preventing the hands of the feeding
attendant of a chaff-cutter from being accidentally drawn along by the feed rollers
to the knives, and has for object to render such apparatus certain in action; simple
and strong in construction, and such as not to interfere with the efficient working
and feeding of the machine.
Stopping-apparatus according thereto comprises a board which extends across
the feed-trough at a sufficient height above the bottom of the trough to
allow of the passage of the straw thereunder and is mounted so as to be capable
of being partially rotated about a horizontal axis near the rear or delivery end
of the feed-trough, which it normally (i.e., when the parts are in the positions
for feeding) overhangs at a slight inclination to the vertical. Against the back of
the board normally bear, according to one arrangement, the upper ends of two
levers loosely mounted on opposite ends of a shaft to which are fixed two arms
connected at their upper ends by a weight provided at the front with a handle,
each of the said arms having an outwardly projecting pin engaging in a slot, in a
link jointed to one of the said levers. When in its normal position, the weight is
slightly in front of the axis of the shaft to which its arms are fixed, and keeps the
said levers against the board, the pins of the arms bearing against the inner ends
of the slots of the respective levers. Between the arms and the levers is a bar
projecting from the stopping-lever and connecting the latter with an arm fixed
to the shaft of, and parallel to, the said stopping-lever. If the attendant's hand
becomes entangled in the straw moving towards the feed-rollers so that he cannot
extricate it, his arm or shoulder will be drawn against the inclined board and will
force it in the same direction; the centre of gravity of the weight will be thereby
carried over the axis of its shaft and the weight will then fall with increasing
velocity until the pins of its arms strike against the outer ends of the slots in the
links, whereupon the inertia of the weight will carry the levers on with it and
thereby quickly move the stopping-lever into its mid or stopping position. The
parts will be restored to their normal positions by the act of restarting the rollers
as the cross-bar of the stopping lever will bear against the loosely mounted levers
until they have carried the weight over the axis of its shaft. The stopping lever
can be moved by hand in the ordinary way, into its reversing position whatever be
the position of the board.
If desired spring-power may be employed in lieu of gravity to effect the move-
ment of the stopping-lever. In this case, the shaft herein before described as
carrying the weight by means of arms may have only one arm arranged preferably,
in the middle and connected with a slotted link as herein before described and be

page_text: provided at one or each end with a crank-arm connected by a rod with a coiled
spring enclosed in a casing pivoted to the framework of the machine and adapted
to be compressed by bringing the parts into their normal positions, the crank-arm
being so arranged that in being moved into its normal position it passes slightly
beyond its dead-centre so that a slightly backward movement of the board will
allow the spring to rotate the aforesaid shaft backwards and so shift the stopping
lever into its mid position.
As an additional safeguard, means may be provided for enabling the attendant
to actuate the apparatus by his foot. For this purpose the board may, in its
normal position, rest on a lever connected by a cord or otherwise with a pedal-lever
normally supported by the weight of the board.
Various driving-arrangements may be controlled by apparatus such as herein-
before described. A suitable arrangement is one in which the main feed-rollers
and one of the guide feed-rollers are connected by suitable gearing with a bevel-
wheel fixed on a shaft carrying a drum around which passes, so as to be driven
thereby, the endless apron that forms the bottom of the feed-trough. This bevel-
wheel is in permanent gear with two bevel-pinions loose on a longitudinal shaft
on which is a clutch having a feather and groove connexion with the shaft and
adapted to engage with one or other, of correspondingly formed bosses on the
pinions or to be out of engagement with both according as it is required to drive
the feed-rollers forwards or backwards or to stop them. With this clutch engages
the forked lower end of a lever of the first order the upper end of which has a
pin-and-slot connexion with an arm fixed on the shaft of the hand stopping-lever.
0 T
1800
For the Appreant.
W. LLOYD WISE,
46, Lincoln's Inn Fields, London, W.C.
Chartered Patent Agent.
H
We, ALFRED SHUTTLEWORTH & FRANK SHUTTLEWORTII, both of Stamp End
Works, in the City and County of Lincoln, Agricultural Engineers, and ROBERT
GAMBLE, of Stamp End Works, aforesaid, Machine-foreman, 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 apparatus for preventing the hands of the feeding
attendant of a chaff-cutter from being accidentally drawn along by the feed rollers
to the knives, and has for object to render such apparatus certain in action, simple
and strong in construction, and such as not to interfere with the efficient working
and feeding of the machine.
In describing the invention and the manner of performing the same, reference
will be had to the accompanying illustrative drawings, in which Figs. 1, 2, and 3
are respectively a side elevation, a front elevation, partly in section, and a plan
of an example of apparatus constructed according to the invention, and
Figs. 4 and 5 are respectively a side elevation and a plan of a second example.
Stopping-apparatus according to this invention comprises a board 1 which
extends across the feed-trough 2 at a sufficient height above the bottom of the
trough to allow of the passage of the straw thereunder and is mounted so as to be
capable of being partially rotated about a horizontal axis 3 near the rear or delivery

page_text: end of the feed-trough, which it normally (i.e., when the parts are in the positions
for feeding indicated in full and broken lines in Fig. 1) overhangs at a slight
inclination to the vertical. Against the back of the board normally bears the
upper end of a lever 4 loosely mounted on one end of a shaft 5 to which, as in
the example shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, are fixed two arms 6 and 6 connected
at their upper ends by a weight 7 provided at the front with a handle 8, one of
the said arms viz. 6, having an outwardly projecting pin 9 engaging in a slot 10
in a link 11 jointed to the lever 4. When in its normal position as shown in full
lines in Fig. 1, the weight is slightly in front of the axis of the shaft 5 to which
its arms 6 are fixed, and keeps the lever 4 against the board 1, the pin 9 of the
arm G bearing against the inner end of the slot 10 of the link 11 of the said lever.
Between the arm 6 and the lever 4, but not immediately in front of the arm 6,
is a pin 12 projecting from the stopping lever 13. If the attendant's hand becomes
entangled in the straw moving towards the feed-rollers so that he cannot extricate
it, his arm or shoulder will be drawn against the inclined board 1 and will force it
in the same direction; the centre of gravity of the weight 7 will be thereby
carried over the axis of its shaft and the weight will then fall with
increasing velocity until the pin 9 of its arm 6 strike against the outer end of the
slot 10 in the link 11, whereupon the inertia of the weight will carry the lever 4
on with it and thereby (in the example shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 by means of
the pin 12, against which the lever 4 strikes) quickly move the stopping
lever 18 into its mid or stopping position (indicated in broken lines
in Fig. 1). The parts will be restored to their normal positions by the act
of restarting the rollers, as the pin 12 of the stopping-lever will bear against the
loosely mounted lever 4 until it will have carried the weight over the axis of its
shaft 5. The stopping-lever can be moved by hand, in the ordinary way, into its
reversing position whatever be the position of the board. As stated in the Pro-
visional Specification, each of the arins 6 and 6 may be provided with a pin such
as 9 engaging in a slot in an adjacent link jointed to a lever such as 4 and the
pin 12 may extend as a bar from the stopping lever 13 to an arm fixed to the
shaft of, and parallel to, the stopping lever, but we prefer the construction herein
previously described because it is simpler and presents the advantage that the
stopping-lever can be moved into its stopping or its reversing position without
interfering with the weight 7.
If desired, spring-power may be employed in lieu of gravity to effect the move-
ment of the stopping-lever, as in the example shown in Figs. 4 and 5. In this
case, the shaft 5 hereinbefore described as carrying the weight by means of arms
may, as before, have an arm 6 (shown provided with a hand-lever) connected with
a slotted link 11 of a lever 4 by means of a pin 9 as herein before described, and be
provided at one or each end with a crank-arm 14 connected by a rod 15 with a
coiled spring 16 enclosed in a casing 17 pivoted at 18 to the framework of the
machine and adapted to be compressed by the bringing of the parts into their
normal positions, the crank-arm 14 being so arranged that in being moved into its
normal position its passes slightly beyond its dead-centre so that a slight back-
ward movement of the board 1 will allow the spring 16 to rotate the shaft 5
backwards and so shift the stopping-lever 13 into its mid position.
As an additional safeguard, means may be provided for enabling the attendant
to actuate the apparatus by his foot. For this purpose the board 1 may, in its
normal position, rest on a lever 19 pivoted at 19ª and connected by suitable means
such as a cord 20 passing over a guide pulley 21 to a pedal-lever 22 normally
supported by the weight of the board 1.
Various driving-arrangements may be controlled by apparatus such as herein-
before described. A suitable arrangement is that shown in Figs. 1 and 3, in
which the main feed-rollers 23 and one (viz. 24) of the guide feed-rollers 24 and 24°
are connected by suitable gearing with a bevel-wheel 25 fixed on a shaft carrying

page_text: a drum 26 around which passes, so as to be driven thereby, the endless apron 27
that forms the bottom of the feed-trough. The bevel-wheel 25 is in permanent
gear with two bevel-pinions 28 and 28" loose on a longitudinal driving shaft 29 on
which is a clutch 30 having a feather-and-groove connexion with the shaft 29 and
adapted to engage with one or other of correspondingly formed bosses 31 and 31"
on the pinions 28 and 28" respectively or to be out of engagement with both, as
shown in broken lines in Fig. 1, according as it is required to drive the feed-rollers
forwards or backwards or to stop them. With the clutch 30 engages the forked
lower end of a lever 32 which is pivoted at 33 and the upper end of which has a
pin-and-slot connexion 34 with an arm 35 fixed on the shaft 36 of the hand
stopping-lever 13.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of the said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed we declare that what
we. claim is:-
1. In a chaff-cutter, safety apparatus in which the feeding attendant's hand will
be prevented from being drawn between the feed-rollers to the knives by an
inclined and pivotally mounted board, which, if the hand of the attendant become
entangled, will be partially rotated by contact with the attendant's arm or shoulder
and will thereby carry beyond its highest position a weight, or liberate a spring
which will then stop the machine and which will be restored to its initial position
by the act of restarting the machine.
2. Chaff-cutter automatic stopping-apparatus according to the preceding claim,
in which the weights or springs employed are so connected to the disengaging
devices that the parts positively connected to the weights or springs will not act
immediately on such devices but will, before so acting, attain a suitable inertia.
3. In a chaff-cutter, automatic stopping apparatus constructed, arranged, and
operating as herein before described with reference to and shown respectively
in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 and in Figs. 4 and 5 of the accompanying drawings, whether
or not means be provided for enabling the attendant to actuate the apparatus by
his foot.