Improvements in Apparatus for Scouring and Polishing Corn, Seeds, and the like.
Year: 1888

page_text: Date of Application, 24th Aug., 1888
Complete Specification Left, 24th May, 1889-Accepted, 29th June, 1889
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Scouring and Polishing Corn, Seeds,
and the like.
I, JOHN GRIFFITHS, of Weobley, in the County of Hereford, Miller, do hereby
declare the nature of this invention to be as follows:-
My invention relates to machinery or apparatus for scouring and polishing corn,
seeds, and the like.
The chief object of my said invention is to provide an apparatus that will scour or
polish corn or other seeds, by rubbing the said corn or other seeds against each other
and against corrugations provided in two or other suitable number of revolving
blades or arms provided upon a vertical shaft or spindle arranged inside the casing of
the apparatus.
My said invention comprises moreover various other improvements hereinafter set
forth.
In carrying my said invention into practice I provide a cylindrical casing fixed in
a suitable frame or standard. The upper extremity of the said casing is open and
the lower extremity is provided with a suitable bottom. A vertical shaft or spindle
moreover is fitted in the centre of the said casing and is carried in suitable bearings
in a cross piece upon the upper extremity of the frame or standard and in the lower
portion or bed plate of the same. Upon the upper extremity of this vertical shaft or
spindle is keyed or otherwise firmnly secured a pulley by means of which the said shaft
can be rotated by a strap or belt from an engine or other source of motive power.
Upon the lower extremity of the said shaft or spindle and within a suitable distance
from the bottom of the cylindrical casing, are provided two or other suitable number
of blades or arms.
The said arms are corrugated upon one or both surfaces and are
preferably attached to the said shaft or spindle so that they can be easily removed for
repairs, or for replacing them when worn out, when desired.
I form moreover the cylindrical casing in two parts or portions, the inside of the
upper part or portion is smooth upon the inside, whilst the lower part or portion is
provided with vertical corrugations. These corrugations serve to prevent the corn or
other seed from passing too rapidly through the apparatus, and to retain the said corn
or other seed and hold it against the rubbing or polishing action of the revolving
corrugated blades or arms herein before mentioned.
I prefer to construct the said lower or corrugated portion of the cylindrical casing
in two or more sections provided with flanges having holes for bolts or screws by
means of which the said sections may be conveniently and firmly attached' together.
By forming the lower or corrugated portion of the cylindrical casing in two or more
sections, the casting of the same is facilitated, and the repairing or replacing of a
worn out section, or sections rendered easy.
Suitable holes or apertures are provided in the bottom of the said cylindrical
casing to allow the corn or other seed to pass through when sufficiently scoured or
polished.
In some instances I provide a convenient chute having a door through which
the said corn or other seed may be delivered when sufficiently scoured.or polished.
Although I have hereinbefore described a convenient and advantageous method of
carrying my said invention into practice it is obvious that I can somewhat modify the
construction of my apparatus without however in any way departing from the nature
of my said invention.
For example I can..form the vertical corrugations upon both the upper and lower
portions of the said cylindrical casing or I can form the said cylindrical casing in

page_text: one piece either with or without vertical corrugations according to the class of corn
or other seed intended to be treated.
Dated this 24th day of August 1888.
.HASELTINE, LAKE & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings. London. Agents for the Applicant.
COMPLETE
SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Scouring and Polishing Corn, Seeds,
and the like.
"1
I, JOHN GRIFFITHS, of Weobley, in the County of Hereford, Miller, 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:
My invention relates to machinery or apparatus for scouring and polishing wheat
and other grain or seeds and the like.
In apparatus as heretofore constructed for this purpose, the scouring and polishing
have been effected by a beating action or by brushing, or the grain has been forced
between two surfaces in proximity to each other, the grain in all cases being treated
in thin layers.
Now according to my invention I provide for scouring and polishing wheat or
other grain or seeds by subjecting a large body or mass thereof to the action of ribbed
or other surfaces revolving in the said body or mass; the grains or seeds are thus
caused to rub against each other and against the rotating surfaces by the combined
action of centrifugal force and gravitation, the pressure upon the grains or seeds
in contact with the revolving surfaces depending upon the height of the column of
grain above them.
In treating grain according to my said invention, I place a large body or mass of
the same in a suitable vessel in which are arranged to rotate arms or blades having
ribbed or corrugated surfaces which, as the said arms or blades rotate, repeatedly turn
over or capsize the grains in contact with them, and thus cause the said grains to rub
against the grains above and around the same.
In the accompanying drawings, I have shown how my said invention may be
conveniently and advantageously carried into practice.
Figure 1 is a front elevation, and
Figure 2 a side elevation of one form of my improved machine.
Figure 3 is a vertical central section of a portion of the said machine.
Figure 4 is a horizontal section on the line a, a, Figure 3.
Like letters indicate corresponding parts throughout the drawings.
A is the frame of the machine in which is firmly secured a cylinder or cylindrical
chamber formed in two parts B, B¹. C, Care arms or blades fixed upon a central
shaft D which is carried in bearings E, E' formed on, or attached to the frame A.
This shaft is provided with a pulley F whereby rotary motion may be imparted to it
through a suitable driving-belt. The arms or blades are fixed upon the shaft Da
short distance above the bottom or closed end of the cylindrical vessel B, B¹, and are
ribbed or corrugated upon their upper surface or upon their upper and lower surfaces,
the corrugations extending lengthwise of the said blades as shown in Figure 4. They
are preferably fixed on the shaft D in such a manner that they can be easily removed
for repairs, or can be reversed or replaced when worn out, or the blades can be
changed, if necessary, to adapt the machine for treating different kinds of grain or
seed, blades with fine ribs or corrugations being substituted for blades with coarser
ribs or corrugations, or vice versa.
The bearing E is formed on, or attached to a cross-bar A¹ rigidly secured to the
uprights of the frame A by bolts or otherwise so that it can be readily removed
to permit the withdrawal of the shaft D and blades C from the cylinder when
necessary.

page_text: The operation of the machine above described is as follows, that is to say :-
The cylinder B, B₁ is filled for about two thirds of its height, more or less, with
the grain to be scoured and polished. The shaft D and blades Care then rotated at a
high velocity, and, by the centrifugal force thus generated, the grains or seeds are
caused to move along the blades from the shaft D towards the walls of the
cylinder; at the same time the grains in contact with the blade C are repeatedly
turned over or capsized by the ribs or corrugations on the said blades, and thus
caused to continually rub against the grains above them and against the surface
of the said blades. The corrugations on the said blades are not sufficiently coarse
to cause the grains to travel around at the same velocity as the said blades. The
grains in contact with the said blades move slowly around the shaft D and at the
same time move outwards towards the periphery of the blades. On arriving at the
periphery of the blades the said grains, thoroughly scoured and polished, fall through
the space between the blades and the wall of the cylinder and through apertures B
in the base of the cylinder B, B. The base of the said cylinder is provided with
an internal flange B³ to prevent the escape of unscoured grains. The weight of
the body or mass of grain above the blades C very greatly assists in ensuring the
efficient scouring and polishing of the grains, and, by varying the height of the said
mass, the pressure exerted upon the grains may be varied to suit different kinds of
wheat or other grain.
The grain is fed in any suitable manner into the cylinder B, B', and the escape of
the scoured and polished grains through the apertures B2 may be regulated or
controlled so as to maintain the body of grain in the cylinder at the desired height
according to the degree of scouring to which it is desired to subject the grain.
The greater the weight of the grain above the blades C, the more effectual will be the
Scouring and polishing action in the machine.
In the operation of the machine, the grain descends rapidly in the immediate
vicinity of the central shaft and is then forced outward therefrom between the upper.
surfaces of the blades and the heavy mass of grain above the same. The blades C
rotating within the body of grain tend to support the central shaft upon that portion
of the grain beneath them. By slightly inclining the said blades so that the forward
edge thereof is more elevated than the rear edge, the friction may be considerably
diminished. The lower surfaces of the said blades also exert a scouring and polishing
action upon the grains.
I find it advantageous to form vertical ribs or corrugations on one or both parts
of the cylinder B, B1 to prevent or retard the movement of the grain around the
central shaft and thus hold it while subjected to the rubbing or polishing action of the
revolving arms or blades.
A convenient chute may be provided for conducting the scoured or polished grain
from the machine to a suitable receptacle. There may be one or more of the afore-
said holes in the bottom of the cylinder for the discharge of the scoured and polished
grain, and a corresponding number of chutes; or the grain from two or more
apertures may be conducted to a common chute.
The revolving arms or blades are preferably taper or wedge-shaped, being thicker
at their rear edge than at their forward edge. This formation tends to equalize the
wear of the surfaces of the said arms or blades throughout their width. I find it
advantageous, inoreover, to adjust the said arins or blades as above mentioned so that
their lower surfaces are slightly more elevated at their forward than at their rear
edge, so that, when rotated with the central shaft, they will, by acting upon the grain
beneath them, tend to rise and take their weight and that of the said shaft off the
bearings of the latter, thus greatly diminishing the friction in the bearings. The
said arms or blades may, however, he readily adjusted from time to time, if found
necessary or desirable, to increase the efficiency of the machine or diminish the
friction in the bearings.
If the space between the periphery of each arm or blade and the wall of the
cylinder is made wider at the forward edge than at the rear edge of the said arm or
blade, as shown in the drawings, the wear of the periphery of the arms or blades
:

page_text: will be more uniform throughout than when the said space is of equal width from
edge to edge of the arm or blade.
My improved machine has several advantages over grain-scourers heretofore
constructed. It is very simple in construction and can be made at a very low cost.
The central shaft and the arms or blades can be very readily removed and replaced..
The entrance of stones or other foreign matter does not stop the action of the machine.
Moreover it has the great advantage that the scouring or polishing is largely due to
the rubbing of the grains or seeds against each other.
It will be seen from the foregoing description that, in my improved machine, the
scouring and polishing are effected by means of ribbed or corrugated surfaces revolving
within a body or mass of the grains or seeds, so that the grains are caused to rub
against each other and against the revolving surfaces, the flow of the grain through
the apparatus being caused by centrifugal force and gravitation. And it is evident
that the construction of the machine inay be modified without departing from the
nature of my invention. For instance a larger number of arms or blades may be
used, or a single blade or a disc may be substituted for the two blades shown in the
drawings.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion and in what manner the same is to be performed I wish it understood that
I claim-
First. A grain-scourer wherein the grains or seeds are scoured and polished between
one or more revolving surfaces and a superimposed body or mass of grains or seeds,
substantially as herein before described.
Second. A grain-scourer wherein one or more ribbed or corrugated surfaces are
arranged to rotate in a cylinder or other vessel for containing a body or mass of the
grains or seeds, for the purpose above specified.
Third. A grain-scourer so constructed that the attrition of the grains or seeds may
be varied by regulating the height of the superimposed body or mass of grains or
seeds, substantially as hereinbefore described.
Fourth. The improved grain-scourer constructed substantially as described with
reference to the accompanying drawings, and operating as, and for the purpose, above
specified.
Dated this 2nd day of May 10.
JOHN GRIFFITHS.
Haseltine, Lake & Co.,
45, Southampton Buildings, London, Agents for the Applicant.