IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PURIFYING MIDDLINGS
Year: 1879

page_text: LETTERS PATENT to William James Fender, of Minneapolis, in the County of
Hennepin, and State of Minnesota, United States of America, for the Invention
of "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR PURIFYING MIDDLINGS."
Sealed the 28th March 1879, and dated the 27th January 1879.
COMPLETE SPECIFICATION filed by the said William James Fender at the
Office of the Commissioners of Patents on the 27th January 1879.
WILLIAM JAMES FENDER, of Minneapolis, in the County of Hennepin, and State
of Minnesota, United States of America. "IMPROVEMENTS IN MACHINES FOR
PURIFYING MIDDLINGS."
The object of my Invention is to simplify the construction and perfect the
operation of machines for purifying middlings, and it consists in the construction
and combination of parts, as herein-after set forth.
Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal section; Figure 2, a plan view of the under
side; Figure 3, an end elevation; Figure 4, a vertical transverse section of a
machine constructed according to my Invention; and Figures 5, 6, and 7 are detail
views of the same.
This
In the above-described Figures of Drawings A represents the main frame of the
machine, which contains all the moving and operating parts within it or attached
to it; B is a suction fan mounted on transverse shaft b, and is revolved by
belt over pulley on said shaft from a pulley on a second transverse shaft; C is
the middlings receiver hopper at the top of the machine; D is an oscillating
convex middlings spreader or feeder and receives the middlings upon its convex
surface through an adjustable opening c at the bottom of hopper C.
feeder or spreader is attached by its arms d to the shaker frame and receives its
oscillating motion by the reciprocation of the shaker frame, and causes an even-
flowing sheet of middlings to fall from its convex surface into a chamber D'. The
outside wall of this chamber is formed of inclined slats d' with air openings d"
between them for the admission of outside air. E is the inside inclined wall of
chamber D¹, and extends down to near the top of the reciprocating shaker, with a
bottom e extending toward the outside of chamber D₁ to intersect an inclined par-
tition F that rises nearly to the top of said chamber D'. The lower portion of this
partition is provided with pivoted slats that can be adjusted to allow a greater
or lesser opening between them. This partition F divides chamber D³, as seen in
Figure 1, and forms a sub-chamber G. Near the bottom of this chamber is a.
Povice 6d1
:

page_text: transverse revolving conveyor H made to revolve by a pulley h on its shaft through
a belt and a pulley on another shaft.
Over this conveyor H in chamber G is an inclined cover h¹, in which is a slot h
at its upper edge running its whole-length-;-I-is-the reciprocating shaker frame with
its fine bolt cloth I' on its bottom side in the usual manner of constructing such
franes; Jis the main shaft placed- transversely across and at the head of the
-machine, and is revolved by any convenient-power at the usual speed by pulley J',
and from which shaft the moving parts of the whole machine are put in
motion; are eccentrics _on_shaft J, and j', j, are bands that surround the
eccentrics and have straps 11 extending along the outside of shaker-frame, and are
attached thereto at their ends by a projecting stud j³, and j is an eye in the arms
of the straps; jare studs projecting outwardly through eyes j from and fast to
the sides of the shaker frame, the eye being as much larger than the stud in its
diameter as the vibration of the shank at that point is out of a direct line caused
by the revolution of the eccentric upon shaft J, which gives the outer ends of the
straps a perpendicular vibration.
At or near each corner of the shaker are the supporting hangers which are
attached to the sides of the shaker frame by the projecting studs j³ and j* which
have holes through them to receive bolt 1 and have obtuse angular faces o, o, against
which is a flat disk metal washer 2, a rubber washer 3, then the spring hanger K, a
rubber washer 4 next to the spring hanger, and a metal washer 5 having a flat
surface bearing upon the rubber washer 4, and conical outer side bearing against
the inside of the bolt head 1. When put together, as seen in Fig. 6, it forms a
yielding attachment free from noise in operation and never requiring any lubrication
to make it work freely. These projecting studs j and j* may be cast with the
plates K and secured to the shaker frame by screws, as seen in Fig. 6. The spring
hangers K extend upward and at their upper ends have a lug k upon one side with
a bolt hole to receive bolt 1; L is a plate having a perpendicular slot 7 near its
top end, by which it is adjusted up or down, and held when adjusted by the screw, l¹
by turning the screw into the framing; is a curved lateral slot in plate L, in
which is placed bolt, and passing through hole in the lug of the spring hanger,
and in which curved slot the hanger K can be, by the bolt 1, adjusted to any angle
required; M is a suction fan upon a shaft m, set in motion by pulley m¹, a belt and
pulley m from main shaft J. The shaft m has another pulley m at its opposite
end, and through a belt gives motion to shaft b and fan B; N is a brush under the
shaker screen I', and is as long as the screen; it is made to pass under it and sweep
the fine adhering dust therefrom in an obtuse angle with the longitudinal sides of
the shaker, or in the figure of a segment of a circle across the under side of the
screen, and at the end of its movement in one, direction when off the screen it
reverses its motion and returns back to the opposite side of the shaker, and again
reverses its motion outside of and beyond the screen. By this new movement of
_the_brush in the manner and direction described less power is required to drive the
brush, as in its sweep it must bear more or less-hard-against-the-cloth of the screen
and bend the bristles in order to successfully brush off the dust, and as the brush
approaches the sides of the shaker or screen the angle increases; hence it goes out
of contact with the screen gradually and the bristles assume their normal or straight
position before the brush is returned in the opposite direction; O is a short hori-
zontal shaft secured in proper bearings at the head of the machine, and has pulley o
at its outer end which is driven by belt from pulley o' on shaft J.
P is a worm gear on shaft O and revolves with it, gearing into toothed wheel Q which
revolves a short shaft; R is & pitman secured to wheel by bolt in slot q, its other
end secured to segment gear wheel S by bolt or wrist pin, by which construction as the
wheel Q revolves it gives to the segment or quarter wheel an oscillating or vibrating
piotion in opposite directions; and gearing into this segment is a pinion s on shaft T
that extends longitudinally under the screen. Secured to shaft T are pulleys t, t',
near opposite ends of the machine, and the former pulley is much larger than
pulley ; U is a cord, one end attached to pulley t, so that it will run on the
-

page_text: outside of the pulley and pass around it, then go to the side of the machine, pass
over a pulley u, then back to the opposite side of the machine around a pulley u¹,
and back to pulley t, where its end is secured as before. A like cord passes around
pulley t and operates like cord upon pulley t.
The brush N is securely attached to these cords, and the vibration of the quarter
wheel S turning pinion s in one direction revolves the pulleys t, t¹, in the same
direction, carrying the brush by the cords U to one side of the machine, when
the quarter wheel is moved in the opposite direction causing the pinion s to
reverse its motion, and with it the motion of pulleys t, t', to sweep the screen
in an opposite direction. Pulley t being larger than pulley t a revolution of
it will carry the end of the brush in the same direction much farther than tho
pulley t, hence the position of the brush as it sweeps to and fro is seen in full
and dotted lines in Fig. 2. By this construction the brush is made to perform
a new movement in its sweep under the screen, saving power by the gradual
departure off the edge of the screen, or in its reverse movement coming on to the
screen and then reversing out of contact with the screen, and at the same time does
not wear the cloth on the shaker by the reversing of the brush when in contact
with the screen. If desired the brush may be made to sweep the bolt cloth
uniformely in both directions by simply making both pulleys t, t¹, of the same
diameter. 1 prefer however the arrangement above described. V is a gear wheel
mounted upon the end of a conveyor VI, and is moved by the gear wheel v on
shaft O; the middlings being fed into hopper C and gaged at opening c, then go
on to the vibrating convex spreader D, and by it are distributed in an even sheet
into chamber D1, taking from the middlings all or nearly all the light stuff by means
of the suction fan B, which draws the air from outside the head of the machine
through air spaces d into chamber D', the said stuff passing between the slats f
that divide chamber D' from chamber G, then into and through the fan case of
fan B into exit pipe B', and out of the machine at B", as indicated by the arrows.
If there be heavy dust carried into chamber G and too heavy to be carried out at
B with the light particles, such dust will fall down to the bottom of chamber G,
through opening into conveyor H, and be forced out of the side of the machine
at H
This operation prepares the middlings for screening by separating most of the
foreign matter and leaving the same nearly pure. M is a second and larger suction
fan, and draws air from underneath the reciprocating screen through air spaces
between the gathering slats at the bottom of the machine, thence passing upward
through the screen in contact with middlings and other particles that may have
been carried there, and this air current permeating all parts of the screen as it
reciprocates tends to and does lift the light dust and coarse particles too large to
pass through the screen or go off as tailings, or to be carried up with the current of
air into fan M, and thence be expelled out of the machine through exit pipe M'
at M.
In order to graduate the force of the air currents caused by fan M a set of
inclined partitions w are arranged in a chamber above the screen in connection with
pivoted valves which are secured to a rod y, and by means of which the openings
between the partitions and valves may be enlarged or contracted at will.
Having thus described my Invention, and the manner in which the same may be
carried into effect, I wish to have it understood that I do not limit myself to the
exact details of construction as above set forth, as these may be varied without
departing from the peculiar nature of this my Invention; but what I do claim is,-
1st. In a machine for purifying middlings the transversely reciprocating brush
arranged to be carried across the entire width of the bolt cloth of the shaker, and
arranged to reverse its motion when out of contact with said shaker to return in
the opposite direction in the same plane, as described.
2d. In a machine for purifying middlings a transversely reciprocating brush
arranged to be carried across the entire width of the bolt cloth of the shaker, but
having one of its ends made to move faster than the other end, so as to move

page_text: obliquely to the current of middlings as they fall from the cloth substantially as
described, and adapted to reverse its movement when out of contact with the bolt
cloth, for the purpose specified.
3d. The combination of the worm-and-wheel-P, Q, the connecting rod R, segment
gear S, pinions, shaft T, and pulleys t, t, and their operating cords with the
brush N, substantially as described for the purpose specified.
4th The feeding device composed-of-the-vibrating bottom D, pivoted arms d,
and the shaker, substantially as described for the purpose specified. 5th. In a
-middlings-purifier the combination of the chambers D and G, divided by par-
titions F, and conveyor H with the suction fan B, substantially as and-for-the
purpose specified. 6th. The chambers D¹ and G, partition F, having pivoted slats f
and the air spaces between them in combination with the suction fan B, constructed
and operating as set forth, whereby much of the light dust is taken from the
middlings, substantially as and for the purpose specified.
7th. The spring hangers K attached to the shaker frame by the stud j or j*,
washers 2, 3, 4, 5, and bolt 1, in combination with the plate L having slots 1, 11,
and bolt, substantially as described.
8th. The eccentrics j, vibrating eccentric straps j' having arms or shanks. j", and
eye 7, in combination with the attaching stud and projecting guide stud j, and
the shaker frame I, substantially as set forth.
9th. The combination of cords U, pulleys t, t¹, of unequal diameters, and brush N,
operating as set forth. 10th. The series of pivoted valves x, inclined partitions u,
and regulating rod y, in combination with the suction fan M, as and for the purposes
specified.
11th. In a middlings purifier the combination of the suction fau M, shaker I,
screen I, and brush N sweeping the under side of the screen at an obtuse angle
with the flow of the middlings through the screen, and reversing its motion while
off the cloth, substantially as described.
i
In witness whereof, I, the said William James Fender, have hereunto set my
hand and seal, this Sixteenth day of December, in the year of our Lord One
thousand eight hundred and seventy-eight.
Signed by the above-named
William James Fender at
the British Vice-Consulate,
Chicago, Illinois, United
States, this 16th day of
December 1878, before me,
J. WARRACK,
British Vice-Consul.
WILLIAM JAMES FENDER. (L.S.)