IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRYING CORN IN RICK AND IN BULK AND FOR DRYING HAY IN STACK
Year: 1882

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to James Elisha Fox, of 71 London Road Gloucester, in the
county of Gloucester for an Invention of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY
FOR DRYING CORN IN RICK AND IN BULK AND FOR DRYING HAY IN
STACK"
•
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION left by the said James Elisha Fox at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 6th December 1882.
$6
JAMES ELISHA Fox of 71 London Road, Gloucester in the county of Gloucester
IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRYING CORN IN RICK AND IN BULK AND
FOR DRYING HAY IN STACK
"
This invention relates to improvements in machinery for drying corn in rick and
in bulk and for drying hay in stack.
In carrying out my invention the machine is constructed to travel by road and
also by rail by means of adjustable railway wagon wheels and buffers, and is driven
by a portable engine. The machine consists of a tubular boiler for the reception
of steam from the portable engine, which steam creates sufficient heat inside the
copper tubes in the centre of the boiler, to allow hot air at a temperature of
about 140° Fahrenheit to be passed into a corn rick, or hay stack, which hot air
is driven through the copper tubes by means of a powerful blower driven by the
said portable engine. There is a continuous current of hot air always passing and
repassing through the tubes and the moisture in the corn rick or hay stack escapes
from the ricks during the process. A thermometer is provided to register the
degree of heat and an automatic lever opens a valve to admit cold air when
required. The machine is encased with wood, and the outside will resemble an
ordinary furniture van.. I also construct a machine to travel by road only or upon
railway trucks or wagons; this machine is driven by the same engine and consists
of a van of two stories the topmost constructed of wood containing a shoot for
corn in bulk, the under compartment constructed of iron (the ceiling line of said
compartment is perforated by a number of holes for the exit of moisture) contains
Prine 71

page_text: .
a screen, the grain is carried by an elevator from the ground to the top com-
partment and emptied into the shoot, it then descends upon the screen in the
lower compartment, and hot air from the first described machine is forced upon it
as it falls, this action is continuous, till the grain is sufficiently dried, the corn being
constantly in motion. The grain falls into a trough at the bottom of the lower
compartment and is conveyed to the top by the elevator. The tubes inside and
outside the first described machine I purpose making of copper or other suitable
material, and of suitable diameter. The machine will be provided with an improved
safety valve of special construction. The pipes are fixed and secured in their
proper relative positions in the boiler in a special manner. The fan or blower will
be on an improved principle and of extra strong manufacture and proper provision
is made for the outlet of condensed steam and a proper manhole for cleaning the
inside of the boiler is provided
The hereinbefore described second machine is on an entirely new principle the
shoot in the top compartiment being full of corn confines the air in the lower
compartment, the grain falls directly upon a screen and is distributed over the
whole surface of the screen, the blast of hot air (not exceeding 140° Fahrenheit)
from the first machine is so arranged that it comes in direct contact with the corn
as it leaves the screen, and the screen is provided with a moveable bag or sheet
(attached to the back of the screen) to receive all dust and rubbish the screen may
remove from the grain. The hopper and shoot in the top compartment, the screen
with its attachments and the method of passing the grain into a trough for
redistribution or rebagging will be of special construction as also will be the
elevator which will be on a principle for securing great rapidity in moving the corn
upwards. The elevator will also be adapted for raising corn from an "outside"
trough to the top compartment of the machine.

page_text: را
SPECIFICATION in pursuance of the conditions of the Letters Patent filed
by the said James Elisha Fox in the Great Seal Patent Office on the 6th June
1883.
:
JAMES ELISHA Fox of 71 London Road Gloucester in the county of Gloucester,
"IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINERY FOR DRYING CORN IN RICK AND IN BULK AND
FOR DRYING HAY IN STACK
"
This invention relates to improvements in machinery for drying corn in rick and
in bulk and for drying hay in stack
In carrying out my invention the machine for drying corn in rick and hay in
stack is constructed to travel by road and is driven by a portable engine. The
machine consists of a tubular boiler for the reception of steam from the portable
engine, which steani creates sufficient heat inside copper tubes in the centre of the
boiler, to allow bot. air at a temperature of about one hundred and forty degrees
Fahrenheit to be passed into a corn rick, or hay stack, which hot air is driven
through the copper tubes by means of a powerful blower attached to the machine
and driven by the said portable engine. There is a continuous current of hot air
always passing and repassing through the tubes and the moisture in the corn rick
or hay stack escapes from the rick or stack during the process. A thermometer is
provided to register the degree of heat and a lever opens a valve to admit cold
air when required. The machine is encased with wood and the outside will
resemble an ordinary furniture van. The tubes inside and outside the machine I
purpose making of copper or other suitable material and of suitable diameter.
The machine is provided with a safety valve and the tubes are fixed and secured.
in their proper relative positions in the boiler in a substantial manner. The fan.
or blower is of extra strong manufacture and proper provision is made for the
outlet of condensed steam and a manhole for cleaning the inside of the boiler is
provided. The machine for drying corn in bulk I construct to travel by road only
or upon railway trucks or wagons; this machine is driven, by the same engine as
that employed for the first described machine and consists of a van of two stories
the topmost constructed of wood containing a shoot for corn in bulk, the under
compartment constructed of iron (the ceiling. line of said compartment is perforated
by a number of holes for the exit of moisture) contains a suspended screen, the
grain is carried by an elevator from an outside hopper to the top compartment and'
emptied into the shoot, it then descends upon the screen in the lower compartment'
and hot air from the first described machine is forced upon it as it falls, this action.
is continuous, till the grain is sufficiently dried, the corn being constantly in
motion. The grain falls upon the inclined false bottom of the lower compartment
which is made of perforated zinc or other material and is thereby subjected to a
second drying process by suction and is again conveyed to the top by the elevator.
When the corn is sufficiently dried, by opening a slide at the bottom of the elevator
casing by means of the inclined false bottom of the machine the dried grain can be
run into sacks without manual labour; the screen is provided with a moveable
bag or sheet (attached to the back of the screen) to receive all dust and rubbish the
screen may remove from the grain.
'
In order to enable my invention to be fully understood I will proceed to describe'
the same by reference to the accompanying drawing in which figure 1, is a side'
elevation of a machine for drying corn in rick and hay in stack and figure 2, is a
longitudinal section of a machine to be used in conjunction therewith for drying
corn in bulk all constructed according to my invention.
"
I will first describe my improvements by reference to figure 1, a; is the tubular

page_text: boiler for the reception of steam from a portable engine, the steam entering the
boiler a, through the tube b, from the portable engine boiler the said tube being
provided with a suitable stop cock c; d, d, are the tubes in the centre of the
boiler a, through which the air to be heated by the steam is forced by means of
the blower e, driven by the said portable engine; f, is the tube for conveying the
heated air from the tubes d, d, to the lower part of the corn rick or the hay stack
as the case may be the said tube f, passing upwards through the rick or stack and
communicating with the return tube g, conveying the air back to the blower e, to
be reheated in the boiler a; h, is the thermometer for registering the degree of heat
of the air passing through the tube f, to the rick or stack; a suitable lever (not
shewn in the drawing) is employed to admit cold air when required; i, is the
safety valve of the boiler a; j, is the outlet for condensed steam; k, is the manhole
to allow of cleaning the inside of the boiler a.
It will be evident from this construction of machine, that the blower e, being
driven by the engine and steam from the engine being forced into the boiler a,
a continuous current of hot air will be made to continuously pass and repass
through the tubes d, f, and g, to and from the rick or stack and the moisture in the
rick or stack will thereby be driven off during the process.
I will now describe my improvements by reference to figure 2, shewing the
machine for drying corn in bulk, the machine being provided with wheels to travel
by road only or upon railway trucks or wagons; the machine is driven by the
same portable engine as that employed to drive the first hereinbefore described
machine.
a, is the upper and b, the lower storey of the machine; c, is the shoot for the
corn; the ceiling line of the lower compartment b, is perforated with a number of
holes for the exit of moisture; d, is the suspended screen; e, is the elevator driven
from the engine for conveying the grain (from the outside hopper f, when a fresh
supply of grain is required to be dried in the machine, or from the bottom of the
lower compartment b, while the grain is being dried as the case may be) to the
shoot c; g, is the inclined false bottom of the lower compartment b, and made of
perforated zinc upon which the grain falls from the screen d; a slide (not shewn in
the drawing) in the bottom of the elevator casing h, is provided by which the grain
when sufficiently dried can be run into sacks without manual labour; the screen
is provided with a moveable bag or sheet (not shewn in the drawing) attached to
the back of the screen to receive all dust and rubbish the screen may remove from
the grain; i, is an opening in the elevator case to admit grain from the outside
hopper, on the moveable stage k; l, is the inlet for hot air and m, the outlet for
the partially cooled air.
By this construction the machine being set in motion a supply of grain is first
carried by the elevator e, from the outside hopper f, to the top compartment a, and
emptied into the shoot c; it then descends upon the screen d, in the lower com-
partment and the hot air coming from the first hereinbefore described machine and
entering at 1, is forced upon the grain as it falls from the screen d, upon the inclined
false bottom g, of the lower compartment and leaves the machine through the
outlet m, to be reheated in the machine first herein before described; the grain is
thereby subjected to a second drying process by suction and is again conveyed to
the top compartment of the machine by the elevator e; this action is continued till
the grain is sufficiently dried, the corn being thus kept constantly in motion.
When the corn is sufficiently dried the hereinbefore described slide in the bottom
of the elevator casing h, is opened and the dried grain by means of the inclined
false bottom g, can be run into sacks without manual labour; the dust and rubbish
removed from the grain by the screen is received in the bag or sheet herein before
described at the back of the machine.
From this construction it will be seen that the shoot c, in the top compartment a,
being full of corn confines the air in the lower compartment b, the grain falls
directly upon the suspended screen d, and is distributed over the whole surface of
the screen, the blast of hot air (not exceeding one hundred and forty degrees

page_text: Fahrenheit) from the first herein before described machine is so arranged that it
comes in direct contact with the corn as it leaves the screen.
Having thus described my said invention and the best means with which I am
acquainted for carrying the same into effect I would have it understood that what
I claim is
Firstly. The improved machine for drying corn in rick or hay in stack con-
structed, arranged and operating substantially as hereinbefore described and
represented in figure 1, of the accompanying drawing.
Secondly. The general arrangement and construction of the improved machine
for drying corn in bulk operating substantially in the manner hereinbefore
described and represented in figure 2, of the accompanying drawing.
Thirdly. The use in combination of the hereinbefore described machines as and
for the purposes set forth.
In Witness whereof I the said James Elisha Fox have hereto set my hand
and seal this fifth day of June in the year of our Lord one thousand eight
hundred and eighty three
JAMES ELISHA FOX (L.S.)