MACHINERY FOR CLEANING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN OR SEED FROM SMUT AND OTHER INJURIOUS MATTERS
Year: 1857

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to John Ashby, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey,
for the Invention of "MACHINERY FOR CLEANING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN
OR SEED FROM SMUT AND OTHER INJURIOUS MATTERS."
Sealed the 12th March 1858, and dated the 15th September 1857.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said John Ashby at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents, with his Petition, on the
15th September 1857.
I, JOHN ASHBY, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey, do hereby declare the
nature of the said Invention for "MACHINERY FOR CLEANING WHEAT AND OTHER
GRAIN OR SEED FROM SMUT AND OTHER INJURIOUS MATTERS," to be as follows:-
The object of my Invention is more effectually than heretofore to crush and
beat out the smut and other impurities' which are found mixed with wheat and
other grain or seed, avoiding on the one hand the danger of crushing the
grains, and on the other that of their being passed through the apparatus
without sufficient cleaning. The principle upon which I effect this is that of
the employment of multi or many pointed beaters acting on the grain and
crushing and driving out the smut, &c., through a circular sieve or screen,
within which the beaters are driven round in the manner previously known
and practised or otherwise. It may be desirable to employ my description of
beaters for the purpose of cleaning grain without making use of a screen or
sieve in conjunction with them. By these multi-pointed beaters I am enabled
to attain a desideratum which forms one distinguishing feature of my Inven-

page_text: tion, and consists in causing the individual grains to be separately acted upon
(by a force proportional to the average strength of the kind of grain treated)
in such manner as to avoid the danger of crushing those of unusual size or
missing those which are beneath the average. In carrying my Invention into
effect I prefer to place the main shaft of the machine in a vertical position.
Upon the shaft, at suitable vertical distances, are keyed radial arms, carrying
bars extending from top to bottom of and parallel to the interior of the circular
wire screen or sieve within which they are to be carried round. To the
exterior edges of these bars are attached, by a simple joint running in the
direction of their length, any suitable number of rows of hinged teeth, formed
of wire or other suitable material, and placed one above the other (in the
manner of a number of needles threaded upon a wire attached to and running
in the direction of the bar), and of such length as when fully extended by the
action of the centrifugal force to touch or nearly touch the interior surface of
the wire screen. Upon the upper part of the main shaft of the machine I fix
a circular plate or stone, upon the centre portion of which the corn or grain
to be treated falls from a suitable hopper, and is thence carried by the
centrifugal force along the upper surface of the plate. In its progress from
the centre towards the circumference of the plate or stone the grain or seed is
farther divided and dispersed; the rapidity of its progress is limited, and it is
to some extent cleaned by means of hinged plates or rows of hinged wires
suspended from above with their points nearly or quite touching or dragging
upon the plate or stone, from the circumference of which the grain falls down
into the body of the machine near to the interior surface of the screen, and in
its passage.downward is subjected to the action of the wire-fringed beaters
before mentioned. The rapid revolution of the main shaft causes the wire
beaters to strike and crush the smut and clods contained in the wheat or other
grain through the screen, their weight being at the same time insufficient to
injure the grain itself, the weight of the hinged wires being of course in pro-
portion to the velocity with which they are driven and the kind of grain under
treatment. A second arrangement, similar to that described as being used at
the upper part of the main shaft, may be employed near the bottom thereof to
act upon the grain after it has been subjected to the action of the beaters. It
may be found desirable to employ, instead of the bars fringed with wire, as
before described, a a drum or cylinder fixed upon the main shaft, and covered
or, partly covered with lengths of hinged or jointed wire or other material,
forming beaters as before described.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent, filed
by the said John Ashby in the Great Seal Patent Office on the
15th March 1858.
TO ALL TO WHOM THESE PRESENTS SHALL COME, I, JOHN
ASHBY, of Croydon, in the County of Surrey, send greeting.
WHEREAS Her most Excellent Majesty Queen Victoria, by Her Letters
Patent, bearing date the Fifteenth day of September, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-seven, in the twenty-first year of Her
reign, did, for Herself, Her heirs and successors, give and grant unto me,.
the said John Ashby, Her special licence that I, the said John Ashby,
my executors, administrators, and assigns, or such others as I, the said
John Ashby, my 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,.
the Channel Islands, and Isle of Man, an Invention for "MACHINERY FOR
CLEANING WHEAT AND OTHER GRAIN OR SEED FROM SMUT AND OTHER INJURIOUS
MATTERS," upon the condition (amongst others) that I, the said John Ashby,
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 John Ashby, do 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:
The object of my Invention is more effectually than heretofore to crush and
beat out the smut and other impurities which are found mixed with wheat
and other grain or seed, avoiding on the one hand the danger of crushing the
grains, and on the other that of their being passed through the apparatus
without sufficient cleaning. The principle upon which I effect this is that of
the employment of multi or many pointed beaters acting on the grain, and
crushing and driving out the smut, &c., through a circular sieve or screen,
within which the beaters are driven round in the manner previously known
and practised. Or otherwise it may be desirable to employ my description of
beaters for the purpose of cleaning grain without making use of a screen or

page_text: sieve in conjunction with them. By these multi-pointed beaters I am enabled
to attain a desideratum which forms one distinguishing feature of my Inven-
tion, and consists in causing the individual grains to be separately acted upon
(by a force proportional to the average strength of the kind of grain treated)
in such manner as to avoid the danger of crushing those of unusual size or
missing those which are beneath the average. In carrying my Invention into
effect, I prefer to place the main shaft of the machine in a vertical position.
Upon the shaft, at suitable vertical distances, are keyed radial arms, carrying
bars extending from top to bottom of and parallel to the interior of the
circular wire screen or sieve within which they are to be carried round. To
the exterior edges of these bars are attached, by a simple joint running in the
direction of their length, any suitable number of rows of hinged teeth, formed
of wire or other suitable material, and placed one above the other (in the
manner of a number of needles threaded upon a wire attached to and running
in the direction of the bar), and of such length as, when fully extended by the
action of the centrifugal force, to touch or nearly touch the interior surface of
the wire screen. Upon the upper part of the main shaft of the machine I fix
a circular plate or stone, upon the centre portion of which the corn or grain
to be treated falls from a suitable hopper, and is thence carried by the
centrifugal force along the upper surface of the plate. In its progress from
the centre towards the circumference of the plate or stone the grain or seed is
farther divided and dispersed, the rapidity of its progress is limited, and it is
to some extent cleaned by means of hinged plates or rows of hinged wires
suspended from above with their points nearly or quite touching or dragging
upon the plate or stone, from the circumference of which the grain falls down
into the body of the machine, near to the interior surface of the screen, and in
its passage downward is subjected to the action of the wire-fringed beaters
before mentioned. The rapid revolution of the main shaft causes the wire
beaters to strike and crush the smut and clods contained in the wheat or other
grain through the screen, their weight being at the same time insufficient to
injure the grain itself, the weight of the hinged wires being of course in
proportion to the velocity with which they are driven and the kind of grain-
under treatment. A second arrangement, similar to that described as being
used at the upper part of the main shaft, may be employed near the bottom
thereof to act upon the grain after it has been subjected to the action of the
beaters. It may be found desirable to employ, instead of the bars fringed with
wire, as before described, a drum or cylinder fixed upon the main shaft, and
covered or partly covered with lengths of hinged or jointed wire or other
material forming beaters, as before described.

page_text: But in order to the more. full and complete understanding of my said'
Invention, and of the manner in which the same may be carried into effect,.
I have hereunto annexed a Sheet of Drawings, Fig. 1 of which represents. a
vertical section of a machine constructed according to my improvements,
and Fig. 2 a horizontal section of the same through the line x of.Fig. 1.
a represents the main shaft of the machine, actuated by means of the pulley.
b, and revolving within the cylinder c, formed of sheets of stout screen wire
clasped together so as to permit of easy removal without disturbing the frame-
work of the machine; upon the shaft a (which is supported in bearings ).
are keyed the arms d, carrying the bars e, to which are attached the.
circular rods or pins f, carrying the short lengths of wire 9, formed with eyes
or loops which embrace the rods f, and allow perfect freedom of horizontal
movement (around the rods f) to each of the individual wires g, the outer ends.
of which reach to within a short distance of the interior surface of the cylinder
c. At the top of the cylinder c is fixed a hopper h for receiving the grain
and delivering it upon the upper surface of the disc i (attached to and re-
volving with the shaft a), above which are suspended any convenient number.
of rows of hinged wires j, similar to those lettered g, and partly resting or
dragging upon the disc. At the lower end of the cylinder c is formed an
annular channel k, which is traversed by scavenging plates or clearers 1.
attached to the lower set of arms d. The opening m forms a communication
between the annular space or channel k and the inclined shoot n, terminating
above the opening o, leading out of the machine. The fan p keyed upon and.
revolving with the shaft a is for the purpose of causing a powerful current of.
air to issue from the opening q.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-The grain to be treated is.
delivered into the hopper h, whence it falls upon the central portion of the
disc i, the rapid rotation of which carries it outward beneath the fringes of:
wire j, which rub and partially cleanse it in its progress towards the circum-.
ference of the disc, from whence it falls into the space traversed by the fringes
of wires. 9, which being carried rapidly round are kept extended by the action
of the centrifugal force, and are thus caused to act on the falling grain, rubbing
and beating it against the interior of the wire cylinder, thereby at the same
time removing the dirt, husks, and other undesirable matter from its surface
and crushing out the smut and clods as before mentioned. Upon reaching
the annular channel k, the grain is carried round by the scavenging plates or
clearers and passes out at the opening m, whence it travels down the inclined
shoot n and falls through a powerful blast produced by the fan p (which

page_text: blast carries off the chaff, &c., along the spout r) to the opening o, whence it
may be conducted as desired.
Fig. 3 is. a vertical section, and Fig. 4 a horizontal section of an arrange-
ment of my Invention, slightly modified from that described with reference to
Figs. 1 and 2. In this case I employ a feeding apparatus similar to that made
use of in machines constructed under my former Patent, the grain being intro-
duced into the fixed hopper h (having its under surface corrugated) and falling
upon the upper and also corrugated surface of the dish i, fixed upon and re-
volving with the shaft a, the rapid rotation of which causes the grain to be
carried upward between the two surfaces until it passes at the circumference of
the dish i into the machine, where it is subjected to the action of the yielding
beaters g, jointed upon the rods f, attached to the arms d; the bars e, described
with reference to the former Figures, being in this instance dispensed with.
It is to be observed that care must be taken to duly proportion the weight
of the wires or other pieces constituting the beaters, and the velocity at which
they are driven, to the strength of the species of grain to be treated, and the
extent to which it is desired to act upon its surface; as, for example, a strong
small grain having a tough husk may be found to require the use of flattened
wires or plates, as shewn at Figs. 5 and 6, in order by the increased weight
so attained to enable the husk and beard, with their accompanying accumu-
lation of dust, to be detached and got rid of; again, on the other hand, the
beaters may in some cases be formed of light or yielding material, in order
to. subject the grain to a more gentle action, which shall at the same time have
the effect both of cleansing and polishing it; or it may be found desirable to
make use of beaters of several different weights and materials at the same
time in one machine.
- Having now described the nature of my said Invention, and in what
manner the same may be performed, I would remark, that I do not con-
fine myself to the precise construction or details represented, as the same
may be modified by arranging the improved beaters, either spirally or other-
wise, around a cylinder, and in various other ways, without departing from
the distinguishing features of my Invention, with reference to which I
claim,―
Firstly, the employment as beaters for the purposes herein before described
of a number of hinged or jointed parts thrown outward by centrifugal force,
and capable of yielding to or following up individually, any irregularities either
in the size of grain or seed. treated, or in the quantity submitted to their
action.

page_text: And, secondly, the use or employment of a revolving plate or disc of metal,
stone, or other suitable material used in combination with hinged wires or
plates, for the purpose of partially cleansing the grain and regulating its flow,
as herein-before described.
In witness whereof, I, the said John Ashby, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Fifteenth day of March, in the year of our Lord
One thousand eight hundred and fifty-eight.
Witness,
FRANCIS WISE, Patent Agent,
108, Fleet Street, London.
JOHN (L.S.) ASHBY.