IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING MACHINERY."
Year: 1881

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Alfred Gibbs, Landowner, and Douglas
Haliburton Gibbs, Student, both of Gillwell Park, Chingford, in the County
of Essex, for an Invention of IMPROVEMENTS IN DRYING MACHINERY."
"
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Alfred Gibbs and
Douglas Haliburton Gibbs at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 15th July 1881.
WILLIAM ALFRED GIBBS, Landowner, and DOUGLAS HALIBURTON GIBBS, Student,
both of Gillwell Park, Chingford, in the County of Essex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN
DRYING MACHINERY."
In the new drying machines tines are mounted on horizontal parallel bars
arranged in a frame in such a manner as to present the appearance of a broad and
deep staircase, of which the tines represent the treads. The material to be dried is
laid on to the uppermost tines, and a short quick oscillating movement being given
to the bars upon which these tines are carried, the effect is to shake out and loosen
any tangled or matted fibrous substance, and also to shake it down from one series
of tines to the next below until it has passed from the top to the bottom. On the
underside of the frame which supports these tiers of tines are louvres, and by the
openings between them a hot blast fan propels a current of heated air.
Sometimes, for more effectual disintegration of matted substances, we adjust a
series of hanging tines opposite to one or more of the sets of shaking out tines
already described, and these hanging tines we suspend on short cranks, so that each
tine has a separate and distinct lifting action. The effect of this is that as the
substance is falling off from the points of the shaking tines it is caught and pulled
asunder by the lifting tines before being allowed to fall on the next series of
shaking tines. When these hanging tines are applied to the topmost series of
shaking fines they form a safeguard against carelessness in overfeeding.
Sometimes we make every alternate tine on the shaking-tine-bars to move, the
others remaining stationary; this assists in the opening out or disintegrating of the
substance. When the fibre of the substance to be dried is short we place the tines
....l

page_text: nearer together; and when it is desired to dry granular substances by the same
apparatus we adjust wire screens to the tines. If the small particles falling through
from the shaking tines are not blown off the louvres by the action of the blast a
vibratory movement or shake action is given to the louvres also; or tappets are
employed to strike the louvres and shake off the deposit. Sometimes in place of
louvres we adjust jogging floors between each series of tines actuated in the same
manner as that commonly employed and well known in threshing machines (i.c., by
three throw cranks); the air being delivered both above and below these jogging
floors is better distributed, and any substance that might otherwise lodge on louvres
is effectually shaken off. The shaking tines are actuated through coned wheels,
wherewith any desired speed may be given to them, and the exact degree of
dryness required is obtained.
Another mode of regulating the result is by altering the angle of the whole
framework.
We also vary the temperature and velocity of the air delivered from the fan.
The louvres may be adjusted to open and close.
Sometimes we add to the complete machinery herein described an elevator to
carry up the hay or other substance as it falls from the lowest series of tines, and
re-deliver it on to the top series; or an ordinary elevator may be employed for the
purpose.
Sometimes we arrange the whole of the apparatus upon a pair of wheels. On
one side of the axle is the large compound blast and exhaust fan, and upon the
other, and balancing it, are one or more furnaces, from which the warmed air is
supplied at the centre of the fan. Upon the top of all is the staircase drying
mechanism already described.
For travelling from place to place the machine is tilted so as to raise the lower
end of the drying incline, and make room beneath it for the horses by which the
machine is drawn.
We prefer to construct the fan and furnace so that it may be separated from the
machinery herein described, and used to blow hot air into hay or other harvest
products in the fields, or used in conjunction with the ordinary hay tedders or for
other uses.
In place of employing a fan which draws air from a furnace and forces it amongst
the material to be dried, we sometimes employ a fan which forces air into the
furnaces, and we conduct the hot air by pipes or channels from the furnace to the
place where it is required to impinge on the material to be dried. This improve-
ment is applicable to the drying machines described in the Specifications of former
Patents granted to one of us, viz., William Alfred Gibbs, No. 3845, in the year 1880,
& others.
In place of actuating the forks by a crank and chain, as heretoforo in these
machines, we employ a pair of cranks. The lower crank carries the fork, as
beretofore, and the other crank controls the upper end of the stem of the fork.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by .
the said William Alfred Gibbs and Douglas Haliburton Gibbs in the Great
Seal Patent Office on the 14th January 1882.
WILLIAM ALFRED GIBBS, Landowner, and DOUGLAS HALIBURTON GIBBS, Student,
both of Gillwell Park, Chingford, in the County of Essex. "IMPROVEMENTS IN:
DRYING MACHINERY."
In the new drying machine tines are mounted on horizontal parallel bara
arranged in a frame in such a manner as to present the appearance of a broad and
deep staircase, of which the tines represent the treads. The material to be dried is
laid on to the uppermost tines, and a short quick oscillating movement being given
to the bars upon which these tines are carried, the effect is to shake out and
loosen any tangled or matted fibrous substance, and also to shake it down from one
series of tines to the next below until it has passed from the top to the bottom.
On the underside of the frame which supports these tiers of tines are louvres, and
by the openings between them a hot blast fan propels a current of heated air.
Sometimes, for more effectual disintegration of matted substances, we adjust a
series of hanging tines opposite to one or more of the sets of shaking out tines
already described, and these hanging tines we suspend on short cranks, so that each
set has a separate and distinct lifting action. The effect of this is that as the
substance is falling off from the points of the shaking tines it is caught and pulled
asunder by the lifting tines before being allowed to fall on the next series of
shaking tines. When these hanging tines are applied to the topmost series of
shaking tines they form a safeguard against carelessness in over feeding.
Sometimes we make every alternate tine on the shaking tine bars to move, the
others remaining stationary; this assists in the opening out or disintegrating of
the substance. When the fibre of the substance to be dried is short we place the
tines nearer together, and when it is desired to dry granular substances by the
same apparatus we adjust wire screens to the tines. If the small particles falling
through from the shaking tines are not blown off the louvres by the action of the
blast, a vibratory movement or shake action is given to the louvres also; or tappets
are employed to strike the louvres and shake off the deposit.
Sometimes in place of louvres we adjust jogging floors between each series of
tines, actuated in the same manner as that commonly employed and will known
in thrashing machines (i.e., by three throw cranks), the air being delivered both
above and below the jogging floors is better distributed, and any substance that
might otherwise lodge on louvres is effectually shaken off. The shaking tines are
actuated through coned wheels, wherewith any desired speed may be given to them,
and the exact degree of dryness required is obtained.
Another mode of regulating the result is by altering the angle of the whole
frame work.
We also vary the temperature and velocity of the air delivered from the fan.
The louvres may be adjusted to open and close.
Sometimes we add to the complete machinery herein described an elevator to
carry up the hay or other substance as it falls from the lowest series of tines, and
redeliver it onto the top series; or an ordinary elevator may be employed for the
purpose.
Sometimes we arrange the whole of the apparatus upon a pair of wheels. On
one side of the axle is the large compound blast and exhaust fan, and upon the
other, and balancing it, are one or more furnaces, from which the warmed air is

page_text: supplied at the centre of the fan.
mechanism already described.
Upon the top of all is the staircase drying
For travelling from place to place the machine may be tilted, so as to raise the
lower end of the drying incline, and make room beneath it for the horses by
which the machine is drawn.
We prefer to construct the fan and furnace so that it may be separated from
the machinery herein described, and used to blow hot air into hay or other harvest
products in the fields, or used in conjunction with the ordinary hay tedders or for
other uses.
In place of employing a fan which draws air from a furnace and forces it amongst
the material to be dried, we sometimes employ a fan which forces air into the
furnaces, and we conduct the hot air by pipes or channels from the furnace to the
place where it is required to impinge on the material to be dried.
In order that our said Invention may be clearly understood and readily carried
into effect, we will proceed to describe the Drawings hereunto annexed.
Figure 1 is a side elevation of our improved drying machinery; Figure 2 is a
longitudinal vertical section of the same; Figure 3 is a transverse section on the
line 1, 1, in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a transverse section of the trough through which
the hay or material to be dried is passed. This trough is marked a; it is placed in
a sloping position, as the Drawings indicate, and at its upper end it communicates
with a chamber b; c is a feeder, into which the hay or material is thrown by the
attendant, or delivered by an elevator, and from which it is passed forward into
the drying trough; d is a fan in the chamber b; it is mounted upon the axis e, to
which motion is imparted by a belt passing over the pulley f. Beneath the
chamber b is a furnace g, from which heated air is drawn by the fan d and forced
amongst the hay or material as it passes from the top to the bottom of the drying
trough a. g is the fire door; h, h, are doors or valves which may be opened to
admit cold air when the air drawn in by the fan from the furnace would otherwise
be too highly heated. The axis e is mounted in brackets i, i, fixed to the sides of
the furnace. In the trough a are tines j, j, mounted on horizontal parallel bars,
and arranged in such a manner as to present the appearance of a staircase. These
tines may be covered with wire gauze when the machine is required to dry grain.
Beneath the tines j, j, are louvres k, l, also mounted on axes. The axes of the
tines j, j, and louvres k, k, have fixed to them at one or both ends arms 1, l, and
m, m, respectively pivotted to a bar n, to which a to and fro motion is given by
means of a crank rod o from a crank upon the axis of the pulley p. The pulley p
is driven by a band from the pulley q on the axis e; thus a rocking or shaking
motion is imparted both to the tines j, j, and louvres k, k. We however sometimes
have stationary but adjustable louvres, and give motion only to the tines j, j;
r, r, are hanging tines carried by parallel bars; these bars at the lower end rest
upon a support 8, and at their upper ends are attached to short cranks u, u, on the
axis v.
Motion is imparted to the axis v by a band passing over a pulley on this
axis, and also over a pulley on the fan axis e. We prefer to employ three sets of
hanging tines, each set having an independent motion imparted to it by one of the
short cranks u, u.
The hay or material to be dried may be fed by an elevator into the upper end of
the open trough a. It is shaken out by the shaking tines j, j, and falls from one
set of tincs to the next set below it until it reaches the bottom. It may if necessary
be passed a second time through the machine. The last set of tines between the
two lowest louvres may be omitted, in order to allow the heated air from the fan
to pass more freely through the material which is being dried, and also so that the
material may escape more freely from the trough a.
Having thus described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of performing
the same, we would have it understood that we claim,-
First. The stair like arrangement of shaking tines with the blower forcing hot
air amongst the material as it descends from step to step, substantially as
described.

page_text: Second. The combination of the parts a, j, k, and r, r, substantially as
described.
Third. The combination of machinery for drying hay and other materials,
substantially as described and illustrated by the Drawings annexed.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Alfred Gibbs & Douglas Haliburton
Gibbs, have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Thirteenth day of
January, in the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and eighty
two
WILLIAM ALFRED GIBBS.
(L.S.)
DOUGLAS HALIBURTON GIBBS. (L.S.)