Improvement in Thrashing Machines.
Year: 1892

page_text: Date of Application, 21st May, 1892
Complete Specification Left, 20th Feb., 1893-Accepted, 6th May, 1893
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Thrashing Machines.
I, FREDERICK HOWARD LIVENS, Engineer, of South Park, in the City of
Lincoln, in the same County, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be as
follows:-
"
In thrashing machines in which the shakers, and the two reciprocating parts,
usually termed, the "top" and "bottom shoes are driven by eccentrics fixed
on a straight shaft, two on either side of machine, as described for example in
Patent No. 16089, of 1884.
It has been the custom hitherto to suspend each shaker at the end next to the
drum, with the result that the motion of these ends, in a vertical direction, has been
small, and various devices have been used to overcome this difficulty.
I suspend the shakers by any well known device, at their drum and opposite ends,
in alternate order, and I place the shaft carrying the eccentrics at about midway in
their length, and I give motion to them by means of the bars which pass across the
machine; and are secured to their eccentrics as shewn in the Patent named above,
and by preference I place the bar connecting the inside pair of eccentrics on the
opposite side of the eccentric shaft, to the bar connecting the outside pair of
eccentrics.
The shakers may be as usual three, four, five or six in number of which one, two,
or three, would be actuated by one bar, and the remainder by the other bar, and
would be respectively supported or carried by hangers, or radius rods, placed by
preference, on the opposite side of the eccentric shaft, to that on which the bar
moving them is placed.
One, two, or three of the shakers therefore would rock at their ends nearest to
the drum, and the remainder would rock at their front or outer ends, and as the
motion of the rods, secured to the eccentrics which actuate the shakers, approximates
to the circular motion of the eccentrics, the motion of the free ends of all the
shakers will be of an elliptical character, and I therefore obtain for some of the
shakers much greater lift at their drum ends than before, and an approximately
parallel motion of all the shakers, one with the other.
By preference I place at the front ends of the shakers, one rocker under each
shaker carried at this end, and for those carried at their drum ends I do the same
but I sometimes support these ends by brackets fixed to a cross bar, which I carry
by rocking levers, springs or straps, outside the machine.
Dated this 20th day of May 1892.
FREDERICK HOWARD LIVENS.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION.
Improvement in Thrashing Machines.
I, FREDERICK HOWARD LIVENS, Engineer, of South Park, in the City of
Lincoln, in the same County, 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 :-
In thrashing machines in which the shakers, and the two reciprocating parts,
usually termed the "top" and "bottom shoes," are driven by eccentrics fixed on a
straight shaft, two on either side of machine, as described for example in Patent
No. 16089 of 1884.
It has been the custom hitherto, to suspend each shaker at the end next the

page_text: "
drum, with the result that the motion of these ends, in a vertical direction, has been
small, and various devices, have been used to overcome this difficulty.
I now suspend the shakers by any well known device, at their drum and opposite
ends, in alternate order, and I place the shaft carrying the eccentrics at about mid-
way in their length, and I give motion to them by means of the bars which pass
across the machine; and are secured to their eccentrics, as shewn in the Patent
named above, and by preference I place the bar connecting the inside pair of
eccentrics on the opposite side of the eccentric shaft, to the bar connecting the
outside pair of eccentrics.
The shakers may be as usual three, four five or six in number, of which one, two
or three would be actuated by one bar, and the remainder by the other bar, and
would be respectively supported or carried by hangers, or radius rods, placed by
preference, on the opposite side of the eccentric shaft, to that on which the bar
moving them is placed.
One, two, or three of the shakers therefore would rock at their ends nearest to
the drum, and the remainder would rock at their front or outer ends, and as the
motion of the rods, secured to the eccentrics which actuate the shakers, approximates
to the circular motion of the eccentrics, the motion of the free ends of all the
shakers will be of an elliptical character, and I therefore obtain for some of the
shakers, much greater lift at their drum ends than before, and an approximately
parallel motion of all the shakers, one with the other.
By preference I place at the front ends of the shakers, one rocker under each
shaker carried at this end, and for those carried at their drum ends I do the same,
but I sometimes support these ends by brackets fixed to a crossbar, which I carry
by rocking levers, springs or straps, outside the machine.
In order that my said invention may be fully understood and readily carried into
effect I will describe the drawings hereunto annexed.
DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS.
Figure 1 is a side elevation shewing the principal parts of a thrashing machine
arranged in accordance with my invention.
Figure 2 is also a side elevation and shows a modification.
Figure 3 is a transverse vertical section shewing some of the parts of the
machine.
A is the shaft which actuates the eccentrics, it is driven by a pulley and belt,
preferably, from the drum spindle B.
The two eccentrics on either side of the machine are fitted with straps E and F,
that marked F runs on the eccentric D and has a horn cast on it carrying the
bar G whilst the eccentric strap marked E is formed with a boss which carries the
bar H.
These bars G and H pass from side to side of the machine. To the upper parts
of the eccentrics are bolted the wooden connecting rods J and K formed so that
they can spring, and these at their lower ends are bolted respectively to castings L
and M, secured to the top reciprocating board or shoe N, N, N, and to the lower
reciprocating shoe 0, 0, 0, which carries the riddles and sieves.
The cross bars G and H have a motion approximating to the circular motion of
the eccentrics, but modified by the connecting rods J and K. To these cross
bars G and H, are secured alternately the straw shakers, which may be three, four,
five or six in number, of which one, two or three are supported at their ends nearest
the drum, and the remainder at their opposite or delivery ends. By preference I
carry those shakers which are supported at their drum ends by the cross bar G and
those shakers which are supported at their opposite ends by cross bar H.
The motion therefore of these shakers is approximately parallel to each other,
every point in each moving in a sort of ellipse, and the shaft A gives the requisite
motion both to the shakers and to the reciprocating parts, usually termed the
shoes.

page_text: The rocking supports of the shakers, may be either short levers, springs or straps.
By preference I use short levers T at the outer ends, and I can also use similar
levers X at the inner ends as shown on Figure 2, or I can carry the inner or drum
ends by brackets fixed on a cross bar U which is slung by links, springs, or straps
on the outside, by which means I get all the parts requiring lubrication absolutely
outside the framework, as shown on Figure 1.
By preference I form the shakers with an incline and a step placed approximately
over the centre of shaft A which I find adds to the efficiency.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I declare that what I
claim is :-
The arrangement of driving mechanism for the shakers and reciprocating parts
known as shoes substantially as herein described and set forth.
Dated this 17th day of February 1893.
F. HOWARD LIVENS..