Improvements in and connected with Self-acting Brushing Apparatus for Horizontal and other Sieves.
Year: 1899

page_text: Date of Application, 17th Jan., 1899
Complete Specification Left, 17th Oct., 1899-Accepted, 23rd Dec., 1899
PROVIDIONAL DIECIFICATION.
Improvements in and connected with Self-acting Brushing Apparatus
for Horizontal and other Sieves.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK THOMPSON, of 20, Lombard Chambers, Bixteth Street,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention to be as follows:--
My invention relates to certain improvements in self-acting brushing appa-
ratus for sieves, of the class described in Specification No. 19142 of 1897 for
which Letters Patent has been granted unto me.
My said improvements comprise (a) the provision of means for locking or
securely holding the brush or brushes at the required angle when the same are
turned over to such angle and travelling in one or other direction, for the pur-
pose of preventing the possibility of stoppage by free oscillation or reversal of
angle and of direction of travel of such brush or brushes at any point except
the predetermined positions where provision is made for causing such reversal
of angle and direction of movement, and
(b) the provision of means for enabling the said brush or brushes to adapt or
adjust themselves to undulations of or irregularities in the sieving media with-
out alteration in the degree of inclination when supported by and travelling
upon a straight rail, ledge or other support or supports.
To insure the said brush or brushes maintaining a fixed position at the desired
angle while travelling in either direction, suitable stops, projections or notches
are formed within the recesses in the carrying members into which the brush
backs or stocks fit, such stops projections or notches being designed to engage
heel-pieces attached to the brush stocks and the formation and arrangement of
the said stops, projections or notches is such as to resist the dislodgement of the
said heel-pieces when lateral pressure is exerted upon the bristles of the brush
or brushes, but not to resist dislodgement when pressure is applied horizontally
in or near the plane of engagement of the said heel-pieces with the said stops,
projections or notches.
To enable the said brushes to adapt themselves to irregularities in the sieving
media, the carrying members supporting the brushes are made in the form of
single or double "yokes" which rest upon or are carried by springs.
The said yokes-which in sonie forms of my said improved brushing appa-
ratus, are placed in the centre of the length of the brush are attached to or
suspended from the transverse members or other parts of the carriages in such
manner as to allow of their moving, in relation thereto, to a certain extent
vertically but not to allow movement horizontally, they are thus enabled to
rise and fall to follow any undulations of or irregularities in the sieving media
and a constant or nearly constant or equal degree of pressure upon the sieving
media is maintained by the aforesaid springs and means are also provided for
adjusting the said springs vertically in regard to the said carriage.
Dated this 14th dor of January 1899

page_text: Improvements in and connected with Self-acting Brushing Apparatus
for Horizontal and other Sieves.
I, GEORGE FREDERICK THOMPSON, of 20, Lombard Chambers, Bixteth Street,
Liverpool, in the County of Lancaster, Engineer, do hereby declare the nature
of this invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be parti-
cularly described and ascertained in and by the following statement:—
My invention relates to certain improvements in self-acting brushing appa-
ratus for sieves, of the class described in Specification No. 19142 of 1897 for
which Letters Patent has been granted unto me.
My said improvements comprise (a) the provision of means for locking or
securely holding the brush or brushes at the required angle when the same are
turned over to such angle and travelling in one or other direction, for the pur-
pose of preventing the possibility of stoppage by free oscillation or reversal of
angle and of direction of travel of such brush or brushes at any point except
the pre-determined positions where provision is made for causing such reversal
of angle and direction of movement; and (b) means for enabling the said brush
or brushes to adapt or adjust themselves to undulations of or irregularities in
the sieving media without alteration in the degree of inclination when sup-
ported by and travelling upon a straight rail, ledge, or other support or
supports.
..
My said improvements may be best described by reference to the accompany-
ing drawings, in which Fig. I is a longitudinal section at the line a, b, on
Fig. II. Fig. II is a plan and Fig. III is a cross section on the line c, d, on
Fig. II representing one form of my said self-acting brushing apparatus
designed to carry one brush and applicable to the sieves of Plansichters" and
like machines. The brush A, rests in the recess N, formed in the brush-carrier
or yoke" B. This carrier is movably attached by means of screwed studs S,
to the transverse members (', which form together with the parts I), a cradle
or carriage designed to rest and slide upon ledges E, or other supports attached
to the sieve frame or tray.
The brush is held firmly at an angle on either side of a perpendicular to the
sieve by the projection F, and notches 1', in the recess N, which engage the
heel-piece G, attached to the brush back or stock by the socket J, but I do not
confine myself to this particular detail of construction as it will be obvious
that the method of securing the brush in the desired positions is capable of
variation.
When the brush is inclined as shewn, the bristles, in bearing obliquely
against the sieve, resist movement in the direction of inclination, but allow,
and, by the motion of the sieve, receive movement in the opposite direction,
but if the brush be caused to turn over to the opposite angle as indicated by
the dotted line, the direction of movement will be reversed.
The carrier B, is supported by the springs H, which press it upward and keep
the heel-piece G, securely in place until it or other projection on the brush
back comes into contact with a stop such as K, (see Fig. IV) attached to the
tray beneath the sieve or to other convenient part. The heel-piece by striking
the stop becomes dislodged and by the continued movement of the carriage the
brush is thrown over to the opposite angle and locked by the projection F, and
immediately commences travelling in the reverse direction.
The springs H, allow of the brush rising and falling to adapt itself to irregu-
larities in the sieve or variations in the distance between the sieve and the sup-

page_text: porting ledges and the degree of pressure with which the brush bears against
the sieve may be varied by means of the screwed studs S.
Fig. V, is a longitudinal section at the line e, f, on Fig. VI, and Fig. VI, is
a plan representing a modification of apparatus under my invention. In this
form two brushes are arranged parallel to one another in one carriage so as to
enable a sieve to be brushed or cleaned to, or nearly to, its extreme ends or
sides in cases where the carriage shewn in Figs. I, II, III, would prevent the
brush travelling to the margin of the sieve. In this arrangement the carrier W
has a recess and locking device at each end, for the reception of the brushes,
similar in formation to that shewn in Fig. I and is movably attached to two
supporting members L or one wide central member may be employed.
The two brushes act in the same manner as the single one and are caused to
turn over to the reverse angle, either by both striking stops simultaneously or
the two brush backs may be coupled together by a connecting rod such as R,
Fig. VII to cause both brushes to turn over at the same time when one or
other strikes a stop or the coupling bar may be extended as shewn at X and
strike against any convenient abutment.
Fig. VIII is a plan and Fig. IX an elevation representing a modification
applicable to machines in which the space beneath the sieve is not so limited
as in "Plansichters." In this case the brush is supported by two carriers similar
in form to that shewn in Fig. I and the transverse members M are attached to
a single central member or saddle P adapted to fit and slide upon a central
rail 4. The direction of travel of the brush is reversed in the manner described
under Figs. I, II, III.
Fig. X is a plan representing a modification of the form shewn in
Figs. VIII, IX in which two brushes are supported by two double-ended car-
riers of the form shewn in Figs. V, VI, movably attached to two transverse
members T or one central member may be employed. The object of this
arrangement and method of reversing the direction of travel are the same as
described in regard to Figs. V, VI, VII.
Fig. XI is a plan representing another modification in which the carriers 1
are attached to a flat spring forming the central member 2 which thus becomes
also a substitute for the spiral springs shewn in Figs. I and V, with this form
of carriage the supporting rail is made adjustable.
In Figs. II. III, VI, VIII, IX, X and XI the brushes are shewn in the vertical
position for clearness.
In adapting the form shewn by Figs. I to VI to wide sieves I may employ
two or more carriers such as B or W and it will be obvious that various arrange-
ments of springs may be employed to support same.
When applied to Plansichters or other machines having flat trays beneath
the sieves I adapt my said brushing apparatus to act also as propellers of the
material falling upon such trays by attaching to the carriages light hinged flaps
of tin or other suitable material such as described in Specification No. 19142 of
1897 aforesaid and shewn in the drawings appended hereunto at Y, Figs. I, II,
and Z, Figs. V, VI, arranged so as to be free to lift and ride over the material
when travelling in one direction but to act as scrapers when travelling in the
opposite direction, by which means the material may be propelled to one or
other end of such trays.
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 combination with a sieve of an automatic or self-acting brushing or
cleaning apparatus, consisting of one or more brushes elastically supported in
or by a cradle or carriage; means for enabling or to allow of such brush or
brushes rising and falling in relation thereto; means for holding the brush or
brushes in certain fixed positions oblique to the plane of the sieve and means

page_text: for moving such brush or brushes from one position to the other, all substan-
tially as and for the purpose stated.
2. In automatic sieve brushing apparatus the combination with a brush of a
cradle or carriage and an adjustable elastically-supported brush-carrier having
a recess therein adapted to allow rocking of the brush, said recess being pro-
vided with securing devices to engage a heel-piece or its equivalent upon the
back of the brush for holding the same in certain fixed positions oblique to the
sieve, substantially as and for the purpose stated.
3. The combination with two brushes of a cradle or carriage and an adjust-
able elastically-supported brush-carrier having two recesses therein adapted to
allow rocking of the brushes, said recesses being provided with securing devices
to engage heel-pieces or their equivalent upon the backs of said brushes, sub-
stantially as and for the purpose stated.
4. The combination with a brush of a cradle or carriage and two adjustable
elastically-supported brush-carriers having recesses therein adapted to allow
rocking of said brush, said recesses being provided with securing devices to
engage heel-pieces or their equivalent upon the back of said brush, substantially
as and for the purpose stated.
5. The combination with two brushes of a cradle or carriage and two elasti-
cally-supported brush carriers having recesses therein adapted to allow rocking
of said brushes, said recesses being provided with securing devices to engage
heel-pieces or their equivalent upon the backs of said brushes, substantially as
and for the purpose stated.
Dated this 14th day of October 1899.
GEORGE FREDERICK THOMPSON.