IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SPLITTING WHEAT
Year: 1884

page_text: I, THOMAS SHELDON, of Osney Mill, Oxford, in the County of Oxford, Miller,
do hereby declare the nature of my said Invention for "IMPROVEMENTS IN
MACHINERY OR APPARATUS FOR SPLITTING WHEAT to be as follows:-
"
The object of my invention is to effect the splitting wheat in a longitudinal
direction, through the crease, in order to facilitate the removal of germs and crease
dirt, previously to further reduction; and in substitution of the ordinary methods of
breaking wheat, by which a large proportion of grains are usually broken
transversely and unequally, and whereby the subsequent process of degerming, and
final cleaning, is rendered difficult and uncertain.
In carrying out my invention I fit a rotating cylindrical roller in bearings, the
surface of which has annular grooves or corrugations; the width and depth of
which corrugations are made to suit the size of the wheat operated upon.
Near to this revolving roller I fit a bar the face of which is similarly corrugated
to that of the roller. This bar receives a reciprocating motion, longitudinally, by
means of cams, eccentrics, or otherwise, and may be of any sectional form, but is
preferably made cylindrical, in order that it may be turned when required, to
present fresh working faces when wear has taken place.
Both the reciprocating bar and the roller are made preferably of steel or chilled
cast iron, and may be of any desired diameter and length, but preferably about four
inches in diameter and twenty four inches in length.
The reciprocating bar may be placed in such a position relatively to the roller
that, their line of contact, or of nearest approach to contact, may be either above,
below, or in the same line, but preferably above the roller and parallel thereto.
The roller has a parallel adjustment, by means of screws or otherwise, whereby
its distance from the bar is regulated to suit the size of the wheat.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-
The wheat having been sized in the usual manner, is fed to the roller by means
of a slanting corrugated tray, which is caused to vibrate. by a cam or any other
suitable means. The vibration of the tray causes the wheat to travel downwards
to the roller, and the rotation of the roller carries the wheat to the point of nearest
D

page_text: approach between the bar and the roller, where the wheat is caught by the
reciprocating bar and split longitudinally, as herein before described..
Combs are so placed above the tray and the roller that their points correspond
with, and nearly touch the crests of the corrugations of the tray and roller
respectively, to guide the wheat end-on in the corrugations.
'
It is obvious that a duplicate roller, with its feeding arrangements, may be placed
on the opposite side of the bar to that of the first named, roller, and thus make a
double machine with one reciprocating bar only.
In some cases I make the bar stationary, and communicate both a rotary and
reciprocating motion to the roller, and in other cases both,may be made to revolve
and oscillate or reciprocate.

page_text: Improvements in Machinery or Apparatus for Splitting Wheat.
I THOMAS SHELDON of Osney Mill, Oxford in the County of Oxford, Miller,
do hereby declare the nature of my Invention for IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
OR APPARATUS FOR SPLITTING WHEAT, and in what manner the same is to be
performed, to be particularly described and ascertained in and by the following
statement:
The object of my invention is to effect the splitting of wheat in a longitudinal
direction through the crease in order to facilitate the removal of germs and crease
dirt previously to further reduction.
In carrying out my invention I fit a rotating cylinder or roller the surface of
which has annular grooves or corrugations, the width and depth of which
corrugations are formed to suit the size of the wheat operated upon.
Near to this revolving roller I fit a bar, the face or faces of which may be
similarly corrugated to that of the roller. This bar may be of any sectional form,
but is, preferably made cylindrical, in order that it may be turned when required to
present fresh working faces when wear has taken place. This bar receives a
reciprocating motion, longitudinally, by means of cams, excentrics or otherwise.
Both the reciprocating bar and the roller are made preferably of steel or chilled
iron, and may be of any desired diameter and length.
The reciprocating bar may be placed in such a position, relatively to the roller,
that their line of contact, or of nearest approach to contact, may be either above,
below, or in the same horizontal plane as that of the centre of the roller, but
preferably above and parallel thereto.
By means of screws or otherwise a parallel adjustment is obtained, whereby
the distance of the bar from the roller or rollers is regulated to suit the size of the
wheat.
The operation of the machine is as follows:-
The wheat having been sized in the usual manner, is fed to the roller by any
suitable means, and the rotation of the roller carries the wheat to the point of
nearest approach between the bar and the roller, where the wheat is caught by the
reciprocating bar and split longitudinally, as hereinbefore described.
It is obvious that a duplicate roller may be placed on the opposite side of the
bar to that of the first named roller, and thus make a double machine with one
reciprocating bar.
In some cases I make the bar stationary and communicate both a rotary and
reciprocating motion to the roller; and in other cases both the bar and the roller
or rollers may be caused to revolve and oscillate or reciprocate.
And in order that my said invention may be more particularly described and
ascertained, reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings, in which
similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts :-
Fig. 1 is a sectional elevation, shewing the two rollers a and a¹ in a suitable
position for operating on the wheat, and the reciprocating bar b in an intermediate
position.
T
5

page_text: The rollers a and a² are caused to revolve in the direction of the arrows by any
suitable and well known mechanism; and the bar b receives at the same time a
reciprocating motion as indicated by the arrows in Fig. 2 by means of excentrics,
cams or equivalent devices.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what.
I claim is
1. The combination of one or more corrugated rollers a a¹, with the corrugated
reciprocating bar b, operating substantially as and for the purposes herein before
described, and illustrated on the drawings.
2. The general combination and arrangement of parts together forming my
improvements in machinery or apparatus for splitting wheat substantially as
hereinbefore described and illustrated on the drawings.
GEO. DOWNING,
Agent for Applicant.