IMPROVE- MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING FLOUR."
Year: 1878

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William Houghton and Alfred Joseph Houghton, both of
Great Grimsby, in the County of Lincoln, for the Invention of "IMPROVE-
MENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING FLOUR."
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said William Houghton and
Alfred Joseph Houghton at the Office of the Commissioners of Patents on
the 20th May 1878.
WILLIAM HOUGHTON and ALFRED JOSEPHI HOUGHTON, both of Great Grimsby,
in the County of Lincoln. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING FLOUR."
Our Invention is designed to increase the efficiency of flour-dressing machines
so as to render them capable of performing a greater amount and variety of work
than ordinary machines of the same dimensions, or an equal amount of work with
a much smaller machine, thereby economising the space occupied in the mill, which
is a most important consideration.
Our Invention has more particularly for its object,-
First. To enable the speed of the machine, or, rather, that part of it by which the
meal is carried forward, to be so regulated that the meal shall be subjected for a
longer or shorter period, as required, to the action of the cylinder, so as, without
changing the clothing of the cylinder or even stopping the machine, to immediately
adapt it to dress meal of different degrees of dryness, or to work with a lighter or
heavier feed, or under atmospheric changes which affect the silk and consequently
the passage of the flour through its meshes.
In ordinary centrifugal machines it is necessary to frequently change the clothing
of the cylinder in order to adapt them to these varying circumstances, as their
speed cannot be reduced below a certain point in order to retain the meal longer
in the machine without, at the same time, diminishing the centrifugal action, and
thus lessening the efficiency of the machine.

page_text: And, Secondly. Our Invention has for its object to provide an abundant supply of
air to the cylinder in order that the vanes may develop their maximum efficiency,
and by their centrifugal action, with or without the assistance of an exhaust fan
connected to the external casing of the machine, drive a powerful current of air
through the meshes of the silk clothing, thereby keeping them perfectly clear, and
cooling the meal, so that a much greater amount of work can be done and finer
cloth may be used.
In centrifugal machines the admission of air is usually very deficient or entirely
wanting, and the vanes therefore create and work in a partial vacuum, in conse-
quence of which there is little or no current of air to cool the meal and assist in
driving the flour through the silk, which is therefore liable to soon become clogged.
According to our Invention, the machine, which we term a centrifugal fan blast
flour-dressing machine, is constructed and operates as follows:-The dressing
cylinder is constructed of two end plates and a helical rib or ribs extending in the
form of a single or multiple screw thread of slow pitch continuously from end to
end of the cylinder, and upon the outside of which is stretched the silk or other
clothing of similar or varying texture at different portions of the length of the
cylinder. As the cylinder is slowly revolved the meal is, by the internal rib or
ribs, conveyed from one end of the cylinder to the other, and, by varying the
speed of the cylinder, the meal may be conveyed through more or less rapidly, as
required, without in any way affecting the action of the centrifugal vanes within
the cylinder. The end plates of the cylinder have central hollow trunnions which
are mounted in antifriction bearings, and the cylinder is driven at both ends from
a longitudinal shaft by spur gearing on the peripheries of the end plates, this shaft
being driven at any desired speed by means of cone pulleys or other change gear
from the main shaft of the machine. Upon a longitudinal shaft within the cylinder
is mounted the centrifugal drum, consisting of radial arms and longitudinal blades
or vanes in planes parallel with the axis of the cylinder. The dressing cylinder is
cased in, the peripheries of the end plates being also formed with grooves to receivo
the casing and make a sufficiently tight joint without preventing the rotation of
the cylinder, and an exhaust fan is placed in a passage connected to the casing to
increase the draught. The meal is fed in through a spout at one of the hollow
trunnions or mouths at the end of the cylinder, a screw conveyor being provided, if
necessary, to ensure its regular delivery to the cylinder, and an abundant supply of
air is admitted at both ends of the cylinder by the trunnions or mouths which are
of relatively large diameter, this being rendered possible without scattering the feed
owing to the powerful draught created through the meshes of the silk, as above
mentioned.
The centrifugal fan drum is rotated at a high velocity and the flour is driven
out through the whole circumference of the dressing cylinder and falls into a
hopper provided with a screw conveyor to be delivered where required, as usual.
The offal passes out through openings near the circumference of the end plate at
the opposite end to the feed, and falls through a special passago into a suitable
receptacle.

page_text: SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed by
the said William Houghton and Alfred Joseph Houghton in the Great Seal
Patent Office on the 20th November 1878.
WILLIAM HOUGHTON and ALFRED JOSEPH HOUGHTON, both of Great Grimsby, in
the County of Lincoln. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRESSING FLOUR."
Our Invention is designed to increase the efficiency of flour-dressing machines
and so render them capable of performing a greater amount and variety of work
than ordinary machines of the same dimensions, or an equal amount of work to
that produced by much larger machines, thereby economising the space occupied in
the mill, which is a most important consideration.
Our Invention has more particularly for its object to enable the speed of the
machine, or rather of that part of it by which the meal is carried towards the tail
end, to be so regulated that the meal shall be subjected for a longer or shorter
period, as required, to the action of the machine, so that, without changing the
clothing of the cylinder or even stopping the machine, it may be immediately
adapted to dress meal of different degrees of dryness, or to work with a lighter or
heavier feed, or under atmospheric changes, which affect the silk and consequently
the passage of the flour through its meshes.
In an ordinary centrifugal machine, especially of that kind in which the blades
of the drum are arranged obliquely to its axis for the purpose of carrying the offal
towards the tail end of the machine, it is necessary to frequently change the
clothing of the cylinder in order to adapt it to the varying circumstances above
mentioned, as the speed cannot be reduced below a certain point in order to retain
the meal longer in the machine, without, at the same time, diminishing the centri-
fugal action, and thus lessening the efficiency of the machine. Moreover, the
oblique blades of the drum tend to create a draught of air in the direction of the
tail end of the machine, which carries the fino flour along with the offal, so that
the work of the machine is but imperfectly performed. To avoid this, the air is
purposely excluded from the drum as much as possible, so that the vanes create
and work in a partial vacuum, and there is, therefore, little or no current of air
to cool the meal and assist in driving the flour through the silk, which is conse+
quently liable to soon become clogged.
Our Invention, therefore, has for its object, secondly, to provide an abundant
supply of air to the cylinder in order that the vanes may develop their maximum
efficiency, and by their centrifugal action drive a powerful current of air through
the meshes of the silk clothing, thereby keeping them perfectly clear and cooling
the meal at the same time, so that a much greater amount of work can be done
and finer cloth may be used, whereby a much finer grade of flour is obtained.
According to our Invention, the machine, which we term a centrifugal fan-blast
flour-dressing machine, is constructed and operates as follows:-The dressing
cylinder is constructed of two end plates and of a helical rib or ribs, resembling a
single or multiple screw thread of slow pitch, and running from the feed end of the
cylinder to the tail end (or point of discharge of the offal), within the silk or other
clothing, which is stretched on the outside of the said rib or ribs, and which may
be of similar or varying texture at different portions of the length of the cylinder.
As the cylinder is slowly revolved the meal is, by the internal rib or ribs, conveyed
from one end of the cylinder to the other, and, by varying the speed of the cylinder,
the meal may be conveyed through the machine more or less rapidly, as required,
without in any way affecting the action of the centrifugal vanes within the
cylinder. The end plates of the cylinder have central hollow trunnions, which aré
mounted in antifriction bearings, and the cylinder is driven at one or both ends
from a longitudinal shaft by spur gearing on the peripheries of the end plates or
belts, running on pulleys on the trunnions and on the said shaft, which is driven
from the main or drum shaft of the machine.
:

page_text: E, E, are the feed spouts at each end by which the meal is fed in through the
hollow journals or trunnions B, the meal being, in the case of a double machine
like that shown, conveyed to the said spouts from the point F, where it is first
supplied by right and left handed screw conveyors G working in a trough G¹
enclosed by a casing G³, said screw being driven from the main shaft D by a belt
on pulleys g, g¹.
The cylinders A, A, are enclosed in a casing H, the lower part H' of which is of
hopper form, with a screw conveyor I working in it at bottom, by which the fine
flour driven through the silk clothing of the cylinder is delivered where required.
The two conveyors I are on the saine shaft i, which is driven from the shaft Ď by a
belt running on pulleys i¹.
The cylinders A are driven from the shaft i by a belt running on a cone of
pulleys K on said shaft i, and on a similar cone K¹ cast on one of the journals B.
The cylinders A, which may be similarly driven at both ends, rotate at a low speed,
variable, to suit the work, by shifting the belt on the cone pulleys.
The hollow journals B are open, and, being about one-third the diameter of the
cylinder, there is a plentiful admission of air to cool the meal and clear the meshes
of the cylinders.
L, L, are air spouts leading from the top of casing H into casing G to allow of
the air escaping from the casing H, if necessary. As said spouts lead up to the feed
trough, any dust carried away with it will be deposited therein and returned to the
machine with the feed so that no stive room will be required.
M, M, are rims or flanges fixed on the ribs a; they rotate just inside the parti-
tions N enclosing the discharge spout N for the offal. These partitions N¹ encircle
the cylinders closely, as shewn in Figure 2, and, together with the rims or flangos M
prevent any communication between the discharge spout N and the other part of
casing H.
Having described the nature of our Invention, and the manner of performing the
same, we declare that what we claim as our Invention to be protected by the
herein-before in part recited Letters Patent is,-
1st. In a centrifugal flour-dressing machine, the employment of a revolving
dressing cylinder having an internal helical rib or ribs, substantially as and for the
purpose specified.
2nd. In a centrifugal flour-dressing machine, the combination of a slowly revol-
ving dressing cylinder having an internal helical rib, with a rapidly revolving fan-
drum working within the cylinder, and whose blades are in longitudinal planes
passing through or parallel to its axis, substantially as shown and described.
3rd. In a centrifugal fan-blast flour-dressing machine consisting of a dressing
cylinder with helical ribs and a fan with longitudinal blades, as described, providing
the dressing cylinder with hollow journals or trunnions at both ends for the
admission of air, as described.
In witness whereof, we, the said William Houghton and Alfred Joseph Houghton,
have hereunto set our hands and seals, this Eighteenth day of November, in
the year of our Lord One thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.