Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Stones and the like from Wheat or other Cereals.
Year: 1895

page_text: Date of Application, 21st Nov., 1895
Complete Specification Left, 21st Sept., 1896-Accepted, 31st Oct., 1895
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Stones and the like from
Wheat or other Cereals.
I, JAMES HIGGINBOTTOM of 32 Seel Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Milling Engineer, do hereby declare the nature of this invention to be
as follows:-
The object of my invention is to separate stones or other material of a heavier
specific gravity from wheat or other cereals by means of an uprising current of
water.
In carrying out my invention, I make a cylindrical tube communicating with a
bottom receiving water tank and having an enlargement at its upper part, and
I arrange so that a current of water is caused to pass from the tank upwards through
the tube and to flow over sills or lips upon the enlarged upper part of the tube.
In some cases, I place vanes on the inside of the enlarged portion of the tube
arranged at an angle in such manner as to cause the uprising current of water to
attain a swirling motion.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
I arrange the stones and wheat to fall or plunge by gravity into the upward
moving water at or near the centre of the enlarged portion of the tube, also so that
the descending motion of the wheat becomes arrested by the water, and the wheat
then returns at or near the inside periphery of the tube and flows with the water
over the sills or lips into a wire covered cylinder or other straining apparatus which
allows the water to become separated from the wheat as is well understood by
millers.
The velocity of the uprising current of water is so adjusted in the tube as to
permit the stones to fall by gravity into the bottom water tank from whence
they are removed by means of an elevator or worm as is well understood by
millers.
Thus the wheat enters and leaves the enlarged upper portion of the tube by the
same aperture.
In some cases I arrange a single or double conical diaphragm at or near the
bottom of the enlarged portion of the tube in such manner that the upward moving
water is thereby caused to attain a uniform velocity at the point of enlargement of
the lower tube into the larger tube.
I preferably cause a stream of water to enter the bottom tank by means of a
vater supply pipe and cock arranged in such manner that the speed of the uprising
vater through the cylindrical tube may be regulated by means of the said water
ock.
In some cases I may form the enlarged part of the tube with a sill or with a lip
which may extend all round the periphery, or I may make them with one or more
ills or lips.
The periphery of the tube may be either square, polygonal or conical in shape.
Dated this 20th day of November 1895.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of 6, Lord Street, Liverpool, Patent Agents for the Applicant.

page_text: Improvements in Apparatus for Separating Stones and the like from
Wheat or other Cereals.
I, JAMES HIGGINBOTTOM of 32, Seel Street, Liverpool in the County of
Lancaster, Milling Engineer, 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 :-
The object of my invention is to separate stones or other material of a heavier
specific gravity from wheat or other cereals by means of an uprising current of
water.
The invention is best described by means of the accompanying drawings, in
which,
Figure 1 is a sectional elevation of one form of apparatus ;
Figure 2 a front elevation at right angles to the same with the front plate
removed; and,
Figure 3 a plan of game;
Figures 4, 5 and 6 sectional elevations of modifications of Figure 1 ; and,
Figures 7, 8 & 9 plan views of the same.
In these drawings the feathered arrows illustrate the course of the grain the
single barbed and featherless arrows indicate the course of the water, and the double
barbed arrows indicate the course of the stones Like figures relate to like parts
on all the drawings. In these A is a cylindrical square or other casing, B entrance
for water into this casing. C a double coned impediment or diaphragm placed in
an enlargement of chamber A. This can be of any convenient shape but it is
preferably double coned with or without a cylindrical conical body so as to give as
little resistance as practicable to the water. This cone causes a narrowing of the
area through which the water and stones have to pass and consequently there is a
greater speed of water and a pretty uniform speed of water at this point. D is the
entrance for the dirty grain. E brackets not shown in all the drawings for
supporting the central diaphragm C. They are placed either vertically or slightly
inclined so as to give as little friction as possible to the water and in some instances
when slightly inclined so as to give a swirling motion to the water. This is
specially shown in Figures 4, 5, 7 and 8. F, shown only in Figures 1, 2 and 3, is
an outer chamber into which the water enters at B and out of which the stones fall
at the bottom at J and G in same figure is the spout which receives the water and
wheat or other grain and carries them off to one side. Figures 4 to 9 are used for
small installations to be placed at the bottom of a tube or spout.
Figures 6 and 9 more particularly illustrate this arrangement, in which B₁ is a
pipe admitting water, and regulated by the cock B2, and the aperture B³, at
the bottom of the tube or spout or cylinder A, is for the purpose of discharging
the stones by means of a cock or valve J placed at B³, as shown in Figures 1
and 2. The annular race A¹ receives the grain and water which are discharged
from the spout A². Figures 1, 2 and 3 are for use in larger mills.
The action of the apparatus is as follows:-
The stones and wheat fall or plunge by gravity at D into the upward moving
water at or near the centre of the enlarged portion of the tube or chamber A.
The descending motion of the wheat becomes arrested by the upward moving
water and the wheat returns at or near the inside periphery of tube A to the
surface and flows with the water over the sills or lip which in some instances
as in Figure 5 is enlarged in diameter for the purpose and falls into a wire
covered cylinder or other straining device not shown which allows the water to
separate from the wheat as is well understood by millers. In Figure 1 the top of
chamber F is made sloping as shown at I in order to direct the water and

page_text: wheat easier into spout G. The velocity of the uprising current of water is so-
adjusted in the tube as to permit the stones to fall by gravity into the bottom
of the water tank F in Figures 1, 2 and 3 or to the bottom of the tube A in
Figures 4 to 9 from whence they can be removed by means of cock J in
Figure or by any suitable device not shown in the other figures such as an
elevator or worm in a manner well known to millers, thus the wheat enters and
leaves the enlarged upper portion of the tube by the same aperture. The double
conical diaphragm C being placed exactly in the centre of the tube and somewhat
throttling the area of the tube at this point causes the water around it to attain a
uniform velocity in each given horizontal section for a considerable distance but
more especially at the point of enlargement of chamber A. I preferably cause a
stream of water to enter at the bottom or at entrance B arranged in such manner
that the speed of the uprising water through the cylindrical tube A may be
regulated by means of said water cock. In some cases I may form the enlarged
part of the tube A at top with a sill or lip which may extend either all round the
periphery or only to one part at one side or I may in some instances form a double
lip by placing a funnel in the centre of tube A shown in dotted lines in Fig. 6,
with its edge at the same height as the outer lip so that the water shall have a
double lip to fall over. The dotted arrows show the course of the divided stream.
This is not shown in the drawings as it is rarely necessary. The periphery of the
tube A may of course be either square, polygonal, round or any other convenient
shape.
I do not confine myself to the use of a tube having an enlarged upper part because
is is obvious that a cylindrical tube may be used in the manner described without
its
upper part being enlarged, or even a slightly taper tube may be used as shown
in Figure 6.
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 improvement in apparatus for separating stones and the like from wheat
or other cereals which consists in a tube having a regulated upward current of
water passing through it with or without an enlarged upper part to said tube, a
double conical or other diaphragm preferably at or near the point of enlargement
if such exists and a horizontal sill at the top over which the water and cereals flow
in combination with a spout at the top for admitting the stony grain and a device at
the bottom for withdrawing the stones.
2. In combination with a tube carrying an upward flow of water and admission
of grain at the top and a withdrawing device for the stones at the bottom, a series
of vanes or vane in the tube whereby the water shall be given a swirling motion.
3. The use of a tube carrying an upward flow of water for the purpose of
separating stones from wheat in which the wheat enters and leaves at the same
aperture or end of the tube and the tube is narrowed in. cross sectional area
between the top and the exit for stones, substantially as described and illustrated.
4. The general arrangement and construction of apparatus substantially as
herein described and illustrated and especially the combination of the double
conical chamber C with the enlargement in pipe A for the purposes described.
Dated this 19th day of September 1896.
WM. P. THOMPSON & Co.,
Of Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham, and London,
Patent Agents.