Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Flattening or Flaking Rice and other Cereals.
Year: 1894

page_text: Date of Application. 24th July, 1894
Complete Specification Left, 22nd Apr., 1895-Accepted, 15th June, 1895
.
PROVISIONAL SPECIFICATION.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Flattening or Flaking
Rice and other Cereals.
I, ERNEST SAMUEL SPENCER, of The Castle Brewery, St. George's Road,
Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Analytical Chemist and Consulting Brewer,
do hereby declare the nature of my invention to be as follows:-
The invention relates to means or apparatus employed in flattening or flaking
rice and other cereals which may or may not have been previously submitted to
the action of steam or water to render them soft.
I have found in practice that when the rollers are arranged in a horizontal plane,
some of the material falls from the rollers as soon as it has been submitted to the
flattening or flaking process, whilst some of it is carried by each roller away from
the point where the rollers are in contact; consequently it has been difficult to
collect the material under the mill without hoppers and making parts of the mill
inaccessible whilst at work.
It has also been usual to place a doctor or scraper at the outside of each roller
and as the rollers become heated, some of the material adheres rather firmly to
them by the time it reaches the said doctors or scrapers and is liable to pass thém
adhering to the rollers.
The object of the present invention is to overcome these difficulties and to
provide a machine which will be more compact, more accessible and more convenient
to use in other respects.
In carrying my invention into effect. I arrange two smooth chilled iron crushing
rollers, one above the other, in an inclined plane passing axially through them.
The lower roller is mounted in bearings carried by the framework of the machine,
whilst the upper roller is mounted in bearings carried by two arms, one at each
side of the machine. These arms are pivotted to the framework and suitable
means are provided for adjusting the position of the upper roller in relation to the
lower roller. These rollers are each provided with a driving pulley, so that they
may be driven at the same or at different speeds as desired.
At the upper part of the machine I mount a cross shaft, upon which is keyed a
hand wheel.
This shaft carries at each end a worm or screw which gears with a worm wheel
mounted upon an inclined screw, which latter presses upon the upper part of a
spring. These springs bear at their lower ends, on the arms carrying the bearings
of the upper roller and serve to give the desired pressure thereto. Thus, by
rotating the hand wheel at the upper part of the machine in one direction, an
equal pressure is brought to bear on each of the springs either of which can be
adjusted separately to allow for any variation in the tension of the springs.
Each of the inclined screws above referred to is made hollow and has a rod
passing freely therethrough. These rods are connected, at their lower ends, to the
arms carrying the bearings of the upper roller, and at their upper ends, they are
screw threaded and are provided with nuts. When the requisite pressure has been
applied to the springs, the said nuts are screwed down upon the upper ends of the
before mentioned inclined screws. Thus when the hand wheel is rotated in one
direction it causes pressure to be applied to the springs and when rotated in the
opposite direction it acts to lift the upper roller out of contact with the lower
rolier and may be so adjusted as to fix the position of the upper roller at any

page_text: distance from the lower one thus preventing the rollers actually touching notwith-
standing the pressure put upon the springs. These rods are provided with a
suitable joint at their lower ends to enable the arms carrying the bearings to revolve
without bending the said rods.
A hopper with a suitable feed adjustment is provided at the upper part of the
front of the machine to convey the rice or other grain to between the rollers.
Two doctors or scrapers are arranged on the opposite side or back of the rollers.
These doctors or scrapers are placed somewhat near to the point of contact of the
two rollers, and they are mounted one on each end of a lever or frame which is
pivotted at or near its centre to suitable carrying means. Suitable means are
provided for pressing the pivotted lever or frame forwards and, owing to the fact
that it is pivotted at or near its centre, it causes each doctor or scraper to press
equally against the rollers. Each doctor or scraper, instead of being in one length
of metal, is made up of a number of flat pieces of metal placed side by side and
having inclined meeting faces or scarf joints. Each piece is capable of moving
independently of the piece on either side and is pressed forward by suitable springs.
By these means a more even adjustment of the doctors is obtained over the old
form of having only one blade, considerably less pressure is required in keeping
them up to the roll, thereby avoiding friction, loss of power and excessive heating
of the rolls and they require less attention and last longer.
The arms carrying the upper roller have suitable adjusting screws which bear on
part of the framework. By means of these screws is provided additional means by
which the two rollers may be kept slightly apart notwithstanding the springs which
tend to force the upper roller towards the lower.
An opening through the frame is provided for a travelling apron or worm
conveyor to carry the material away as it is flattened or flaked.
By arranging the rolls one above the other in an inclined plane as above
described, I also obtain the advantage, that the machine occupies less floor space
than machines having the rollers arranged in a horizontal plane, in addition to
which ready access is afforded to the various parts thereof.
Dated this 24th day of July 1894.
Improvements in Means or Apparatus for Flattening or Flaking:
Rice and other Cereals.
1, ERNEST SAMUEL SPENCER, of The Castle Brewery, St. George's Road,
Southwark, in the County of Surrey, Analytical Chemist and Consulting Brewer,
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 invention relates to means or apparatus employed in flattening or flaking
rice, maize and other cereals, which may or may not have been previously submitted
to the action of steam or water to render them soft.
I have found in practice that when the rollers are arranged in a horizontal plane,
some of the material falls from the rollers as soon as it has been submitted to the
Aattening or flaking process, whilst some of it is carried by each roller away from
the point where the rollers are in contact; consequently it has been difficult to
collect the material under the mill without hoppers and making parts of the mill
inaccessible whilst at work.

page_text: It has also been usual to place a doctor or scraper at the outside of each romer
and, as the rollers become heated, some of the material adheres rather firmly to
them by the time it reaches the said doctors or scrapers and is liable to pass them
adhering to the rollers:
The object of the present invention is to overcome these difficulties and to
provide a machine which will be more compact, more accessible and more convenient
to use in other respects.
My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which :-
Fig. 1 is a front elevation and Fig. 2 is a side or end elevation of my improved
machine for flattening or flaking cereals.
Fig. 3 is a side elevation, Fig. 4 is a plan and Fig. 5 is an end view, of one of
the scrapers separately and Figs. 6, 7 and 8 are similar views of the scraper drawn
to a larger scale.
In carrying my invention into effect I arrange two smooth chilled iron crushing
rollers a a¹, one above the other in an inclined plane passing axially through them.
The lower roller a is mounted in bearings 6 carried by the framework 6 of the
machine, whilst the upper roller a' is mounted in bearings e carried by two arms.cc,
one at each side of the machine. These arms c c are pivotted at 2 to the frame--
work b, and suitable means, as hereinafter described, are provided for adjusting the
position of the upper roller a' in relation to the lower roller a.
These rollers a a' are each provided with a driving pulley a³ or a³, so that they
may be driven at the same or at different speeds as desired.
At the upper part of the machine I mount a cross shaft d, upon which is keyed
a hand wheel d. This shaft d carries at each end a worm or screw d², shown by a
dotted circle in Fig. 2, which gears with a worm wheel e' mounted upon an inclined
screw e, which latter presses upon the upper part of a spring &². These springs e³
bear, at their lower ends, on the arms c carrying the bearings of the upper roller a',
and serve to give the desired pressure thereto. Thus, by rotating the hand
wheel at the upper part of the machine in one direction, an equal pressure is
brought to bear on each of the springs e, either of which can be adjusted separately
to allow for any variation in the tension of the springs.
Each of the inclined screws e above referred to is made hollow and has a rod f
passing freely therethrough. These rods fare connected at their lower ends to the
arms c carrying the bearings c¹ of the upper roller a', and at their upper ends they
are screw threaded and are provided with nuts f¹. When the requisite pressure
has been applied to the springs, the said nuts flare screwed down upon the upper
ends of the before mentioned inclined screws e. Thus, when the hand wheel dis
rotated in one direction, it causes pressure to be applied to the springs e³, and when
rotated in the opposite direction, it acts, through the inclined screws e, rods fand
nuts f, to lift the upper roller a¹ out of contact with the lower roller a and may
be so adjusted by the rods f and nuts fl as to prevent the upper roller a¹ from
approaching the lower roller a beyond a certain fixed distance, thus preventing the
rollers actually touching, notwithstanding the pressure put upon the springs e². Thèse
rods are provided with a suitable joint at their lower ends to enable the arms
carrying the bearings to move on their axes without bending the said rods.
A. hopper g with a suitable feed adjustment is provided at the upper part of the
front of the machine to convey the rice or other grain to between the rollers.
The feed adjustment represented in the drawings consists of a sliding shutter or
valve g' operated by a screw g to more or less open or close the outlet from the
hopper, but other suitable feed adjuster can be adopted.
Two doctors or scrapers h are arranged on the opposite side or back of the
rollers a a'. These doctors or scrapers h are placed somewhat near to the point
of contact of the two rollers a a', and they are mounted one on each end of a lever
or frame ³, which is pivotted at 3, at or near its centre, to suitable carrying means,
which may consist, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, of slides ha mounted in
guides Serews h, acting upon the slides h³, are provided for pressing the
pivotted lever or frame h' forwards, and, owing to the fact that it is pivotted at or

page_text: near its centre, it causes each doctor or scraper h to press equally against the
rollers a a'.
Each doctor or scraper h, instead of being in one length of metal, is made up of
a number of flat pieces of metal placed side by side and having inclined meeting
faces or scarf joints °, see Figs. 3, 4, 6 and 7. Each piece is capable of moving
independently of the piece on either side, and is pressed forward by suitable springs
not shown inserted between the underside of the doctor or scraper plates and the
bottom of the space i containing them. By these means a more even adjustment
of the doctors h is obtained over the old form of having only one blade, whereby
uneven wear on account of inequalities in the metal are overcome, considerably less
pressure is required in keeping them up to the roll, thereby avoiding friction,
loss of power and excessive heating of the rolls, and they require less attention
and last longer.
"The arms c carrying the upper roller a¹ have suitable-adjusting -screws c³, which-
bear on part of the framework b. By means of these screws is provided
additional means by which the two rollers a a³ may be kept slightly apart, notwith-
standing the pressure of the springs e², which tend to force the upper roller a¹
towards the lower roller a.
.
An opening through the frame 6 is provided for a travelling apron or worm
conveyor (not shown), to carry the material away as it is flattened or flaked.
By arranging the rollers a a¹ one above the other in an inclined plane as above
described, I also obtain the advantage that the machine occupies less floor space
than machines having the rollers arranged in a horizontal plane, in addition to
which ready access is afforded to the various parts thereof.
I would here remark that I am aware of Patent No. 2627 of the year 1886 and
claim nothing therein contained.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said inven-
tion, and in what manner the same. is to be performed, I declare that what 1
claim is :--
.CLAIMS.
1. The peculiar arrangement and combination of means or apparatus for
flattening or flaking rice, maize and other cereals, substantially as herein shown
and described.
2. In means or apparatus for flattening or flaking rice, maize and other cereals, the
combination of means for adjusting the pressure of the springs on the rollers, and
for limiting the approach of the upper roller towards the lower roller, substantially
as herein shown and described.
3. In means or apparatus for flattening or flaking rice, maize and other cereals,
the construction of the doctors or scrapers in sections, the mounting of the same on
ends of the same arms, and means for setting up the doctors or scrapers
simultaneously, substantially as herein shown and described and for the
HARRIS & MILLS,
23, Southampton Buildings, London, W.C., Agents.